


Repairs, Retrofits and Upgrades

by Progman



Series: Spin the Rails [7]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Humor, Canon Compliant, Canon Queer Relationship, Conspiracy, Developing Relationship, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Happy Ending, Politics, Post-Canon, Post-Series, Post-Spirit World, Romance, Spirit Vines, Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-02 09:20:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 220,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2807429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Progman/pseuds/Progman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asami Sato can say no. She can refuse to believe that the world is on the edge of something beyond terror and comprehension. She can reject the possibility that grieving for the death of her father is necessary, as he was already dead to her once before. She can close your eyes, cover her ears and convince herself that everything is fine. That <i>she's</i> fine. Through grinding teeth and a belly full of rage, she's fine. </p><p>All of these problems, these impossible problems with no solution that involve science humanity was never meant to understand, are manageable. Spirit weapons are a terrifying threat, yes, and the fuel for them literally grows on trees, but she can fix it.</p><p>She's Asami Sato, the Engineer. She can fix <i>anything</i>.</p><p>It's in her blood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flameo Instant

**Author's Note:**

> beta'd by thejmpr, and always will be.
> 
> For other words, ramblings, extra stuff, Asami Sato and/or Kate Kane fangirling and other assorted fun things you can follow me on tumblr at [progmanx.tumblr.com!](progmanx.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
> **EVERYTHING AFTER CHAPTER 4 IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING DEEP-CUT REVISIONS! ETA: NO FUCKING IDEA. BUT THE STORY STILL WORKS FINE AS-IS. IT JUST COULD, YOU KNOW, BE BETTER.**

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Spirit World is more beautiful than Asami could have ever imagined. Impossible flowers, valleys bending and folding into one another, mountains stretching on for eons, and thousands upon thousands of spirits. Everything and anything surrounds her. All of it is stunning. Yet, for some reason, she can't stop staring at her cup of noodles. It's all she can think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12/19/2014: I started writing this around an hour after the finale last night. Once I was done crying. I never truly thought it would be canon-compliant. But it is. It happened. The S.S. Korrasami sailed through the Sea of Doubt and docked into Port Canon.
> 
> And I just can't stop smiling.
> 
> [ ](http://imgur.com/7TmZBkN)
> 
> Custom Cover Art by the wonderfully generous RosetheRabbit! :D
> 
> ****
> 
> EDIT 2/5/17: Dates are NOT based on the final Spirit Portal shot of the series. They are based on Kuvira's invasion/Hiroshi's death. Varrick's wedding is two weeks after that, etc.

_Three Weeks after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Autumn, 174 A.G._

Asami stared at her cup of noodles.

Her bright green eyes looked through the rising steam as she studied it. Examined it. Investigated it. Took in every detail with intense critical analysis. Cylinder, removable cap, disposable, heat conductive materials, branding the result of heavy marketing campaigns. One serving. Just add hot water.

Hot water.

How could something so small mean so much?

"If you're trying to think of a way to make Flameo Instant Noodles even better, you should compare notes with Mako when we get back," said Korra, pouring hot water out of their teapot into her own cup. She stirred her noodles. "He once told me that, when they were younger, he and Bolin basically lived off of this stuff. Aaand, then he cooked it in..." She poked the tip of her chopsticks to her lips, along with a long string of noodles. "I want to say fourteen different ways? I can't remember exactly, but I  _do_ remember that no single cup tasted the same. It was pretty impressive, actually."

Asami snorted and stirred her noodles. "Wow. I never would have pegged Mako for someone with such...culinary creativity."

"Honestly, I'm betting half of those were Bolin's recipes. The best cooks are the ones who love to eat the most."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Asami looked up from her cup and was immediately filled with the sight of Korra sucking a comically long stream of noodles into her mouth. She caught her eyes mid slurp, and Korra somehow responded with that exceedingly adorable crooked grin of hers despite the fact that her mouth was otherwise occupied with noodles. The last of them flew past her lips with a small pop, and Asami broke.

She laughed. How could she  _not_?

"Even when you're eating like a toddler, you're adorable. I don't understand how that's possible."

Korra shrugged. "It's the only way I know how to eat." She made a face that Asami could only describe as 'Tenzin-esque' and poked at the air with her chopsticks. "In fact, a very wise woman once said that if there is food, there is a way to get it in your mouth."

"Really? Who?"

"Me." She smirked and rolled another ring of noodles onto her chopsticks. "I said that," she said, shoving noodles in her mouth. "You should take my advice and eat. There's no telling what we're going to find today," Korra said with a mouthful of food.

"Okay, you're right." Asami smiled. It was hard to say no. "I was just thinking about...what these noodles mean. In a larger sense."

Korra frowned and stared at her own cup. "I don't think they come in larger sizes. If they did, I'd have bought them."

Asami chuckled and waved her off. "No, not literally bigger. I meant in terms of society. You know, how far humans have come in such a short time."

Korra raised a brow. "How so?"

"This little cup I'm holding is the product of less than a hundred years of hard work and innovation." She looked at her noodles with a small sense of awe and wonder. "It's a meal. In a cup. Instant food. This single idea has probably saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Families can be fed. Stomachs can be full whenever they need to be. It's just..." She chuckled awkwardly and looked to Korra. "It's amazing."

"Huh." Korra slowly chewed her noodles as she gave her a rather blank stare. She blinked twice. "Uh, I've never really thought about it like that before. I've never really thought about noodles that much before. I mean, they're just...it's instant noodles. They're everywhere."

"Exactly! They're everywhere, and completely transcend cultural, class, and ethnic barriers.  _Everyone_  eats Flameo Instant Noodles." She quickly ate some of her noodles to emphasize her point. "I do, you do, everyone we know does. It's food for travel. Food for lunch. Food for thought. Food for dinner, breakfast, sharing. For anything!"

"Asami---they're just noodles."

"Well, yes, in a purely physical sense, but when placed on---"

"They're  _just noodles._ " She sighed. "Take a deep breath, alright? My first trip here was pretty scary too, so if this past week is catching up to you, making you rattled, I completely understand. But, as we both know, avoiding it isn't going to help." She gestured around her. "Especially since we're sort of...surrounded by it."

Asami bit her lip. "I'm not anxious, Korra. I'm trying to share something with you that I think you'd find very interesting." She wasn't being totally honest. She was a little scared to be in the Spirit World, since nothing appeared to obey any form of consistent logic. The only  _true_ positive was that nobody was crazy enough to follow them in there, so they could actually have some time to themselves.

"Well, it is, and I do, but..." She tapped Asami's forehead. "Don't wander up there too much, okay? I want you here, with me. And I know you want that, too." Korra snickered. "And _me,_ apparently on every surface you can think of."

Asami looked at Korra for a moment. She was right. Asami did have a nasty habit of being stuck in the big picture, while Korra was very much attuned to the 'here and now' as much as 'what once was'. As the Avatar, the second part was a given, but the first could have gone either way. 

Heh. Either way.

"I wouldn't really call a _cloud_ a surface..." teased Asami. "Not nearly as comfortable as a bed."

"No kidding. You almost fell off! Or, through it." Korra wrinkled her nose. "I'm pretty sure that thing was, uh,  _tuned_ to you."

Asami smirked. "Certainly gives a different meaning to that old cliff euphemism, huh?

Korra snickered, gesturing to Asami's food. "Less flirting, more eating."

Asami gave her a small smile and did just that. "For someone who doesn't think that these noodles are important, you're really insistent that I eat them. "

"For survival!" Korra jumped to her feet and pouted. "We're in the---" She coughed, slammed her fist against her chest, and swallowed. After a moment of breathing, she continued. "We're in the Spirit World! You think noodles are amazing, well what about all of  _this?_ " She waved her chopsticks around frantically, gesturing towards the oddly colored sky, impossible foliage, and the flocks of spirits above as well as around them. "This isn't like that time we got stuck in the desert, okay? We can't just make an airship, or a sand-sailer, or drink cactus juice and start hallucinating our way out in case we get lost. We have to be ready for anything."

"Okay, I get the idea, and yes, of course the Spirit World is amazing---" Asami wrinkled her nose and pushed aside her philosophical meanderings for a later date. "Wait, cactus juice? Korra, that stuff is  _littered_  with psychotropics! Why---when did you even..." She chuckled and covered her forehead with her hand. "There's a story here, isn't there?"

Korra crooked her lips to the side. "...no."

"Liar."

"Okay, fine!" She flipped her hands in the air. "I ran out of water in the desert, boiled some cactus juice, drank it, you appeared out of thin air and guided me to safety. Not really one of my proudest moments." She smiled sadly and sat down beside her. "There's more to it than that, but I hit all the important parts."

Asami raised her brows. A helpful hallucination. It certainly wasn't out of the question. "Well, I'm glad I could help." She took Korra's hand and intertwined their fingers. "Even if I technically didn't."

Korra smiled and gave her a gentle squeeze. "You know, the weirdest part, is that you looked like you do now."

"Wow. That's...are you sure you just didn't read a newspaper and saw my picture in it? I was in it a lot. They kept running articles on me 'building' Republic City, for better or worse. I'd imagine some of those travelled south." She blinked, stared off into the vast, unknowable and irrational distance, and pinched her brow. "...which I will have to do  _all over again."_

Korra rested her head on her shoulder. "You did it once. You can do it again."

Asami bowed her head and closed her eyes. She could. She  _would._ Life had taken everything from her time and time again, but she always picked herself up and came back stronger than ever. It was a fight she'd learned to win alone by sheer force of will. Life had taken her city and her father. Again. So she would take back what she could and more, just like she always did.

More. That was the most important part.

Asami opened her eyes and brushed her thumb along Korra's hand. "Hey."

"Hm?"

"What is this?"

"What's what?"

"Us. This. Everything that comes next."

"I don't know." Korra turned to her with a kind smile. "But won't it be interesting to find out?"

Asami looked around her. Fields of stunning colors, flowers she'd never dreamed of, landscapes that bent and folded into one another that stretched on for eons, entire forests of full of pure  _life._  Everything and anything surrounded them, and all of it was beautiful. It was certainly more than she'd lost.

Maybe just going with the flow, just this once, wouldn't be such a bad thing. 

Asami resettled on Korra and smiled back. "Yeah. It will." She cupped her cheek and kissed her. Deeper than she had intended, but Asami needed...she just _needed_ this. All of this. Asami sighed and rested their foreheads together. "Why are you being so protective of me here all of a sudden? Not that I don't appreciate the concern..."

"Just a gut feeling I'm getting. Most things don't work the same way here like they do in the material world, as you've noticed, so if you don't stick close to me, and I lose track of you..." Korra shivered. "Asami, you're not a spiritual person. If you get lost in here, I'm not confident I could find you. It's one thing to track someone's spiritual energy in the material world, since they're distinct. It sort of stands out, I guess." Korra tilted her head. "In the Spirit World, everything is made of spiritual energy, so trying to find someone cut off from all that is infinitely more difficult."

Asami raised a brow. Korra had a point. She knew all of that spiritual stuff was real, but she'd never put much stock in it ever affecting or being moderately relevant to her. Obviously, that was no longer the case. "This sounds a little more complicated than a gut feeling. Sounds like it's something specific."

Korra rubbed her neck. "It could be. Might not be. Hopefully, it's nothing and you never have to worry about it."

"Korra..."

"I liked not worrying about things for once! That was the point, right? We run off into to the portal, take a break from literally everything, and just _be here._ " Korra took her other hand and squeezed it. "I know you can take care of yourself back home, but this isn't home. It's not the same here. Everything around us reflects our emotional state, and everything's been amazing so far, so that's what we've been seeing. But, if things get bad...I need you to stick close to me and be careful, okay? That'll really put my mind at ease, and trust me..." She gave her a crooked grin. "...you really don't want to see what the Spirit World looks like with a terrified Avatar. All of this light around us turns dark."

Asami nodded without hesitation. Spirituality was one of the few things she knew almost nothing concrete about, and if the  _Avatar_ was telling her that she needed to watch her step, she was going to listen. "Okay. But, what brought this on?"

"Uh, there's something...important I wanted to do today." Korra gently parted with her and went about repacking their things. She cleansed the boiling water and refilled the skin on her bag. "I wanted it to be a surprise, but then I started thinking and---look, it _should_ be fine. But it's kinda intense."

"Well, now we _have_ to see, or do, whatever that is." Asami smiled and carefully picked up the tiny pieces of litter at their camp site. After three years of minimizing pollution and trash in Republic City in order to respect the Spirit Wilds, despite not knowing anything besides that she should 'honor nature', it was almost instinctive. Korra hadn't even insisted that they leave as little trace as possible of their presence, but somehow Asami knew that's what she'd want. That it was what's right. "I trust your instincts. How long do you think it'll take us to get there?"

Korra stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Well, that's the thing about the Spirit World." She held out her hand to Asami and smiled. "With a good enough guide, you can just sort of... _get there."_

Asami took her hand and pulled herself up, securing her own pack in the process. "Assuming you know what you're looking for, right?"

"Pretty much. Ready?"

"Ready."

"Okay, hold on tight."

Asami did as she was told, but was wholly unprepared for what happened next.

Time and space seemed to bend and slither around Asami as her vision blurred. She lost all sense of place and grounding for as Korra moved them through the interwoven tapestry of the realm toward their destination. As her vision returned, Asami saw it all. Two open spirit portals, their light brilliant and eternal, bursting into the sky. Between them, a massive tree ravaged by time. Gnarled and even more ancient than the landscape surrounding it. It looked older than all things, which for some reason didn't surprise her.

"Oh." Asami stumbled forward and covered her mouth with her hand. "Okay, now I see what you meant by intense..."

"That's...not actually the intense part? But good to know that taking people along with that ride can have that effect. Sorry."

"It's fine," she stammered, quickly finding her balance again. "Where are we?"

"Where the Spirit World and the material world are linked together." Korra lead Asami toward the huge tree and rubbed her hand over the bark. "I'm not sure this place has a proper name, but it's the center of...everything."

Asami slowly looked between the portals and then up at the tree. The area seemed to project a feeling of majesty and purity that she couldn't quite define. It was as if every patch of soil and puddle were connected. Centered. Spirits began congregating around them, or at least appeared to be. For the moment, they seemed to be content in their silence. "It's..." She squeezed Korra's hand. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to. It means you're feeling something different here, just like you should. Something more than you are." Korra smiled. "Come on, this is what I wanted to show you." She hoisted herself up toward the heart of the tree and stopped just at the entrance. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up."

Asami paled. "What? Why? I thought I was supposed to stay close to you."

"This is different. This is something you need to experience on your own the first time."

Asami felt a sense of dread and fear creep up her spine. "Are you sure? I feel like..." She looked around at the spirits rather frantically. Something was wrong. The tree was  _too important_ for her to enter. Her gut instinct was to run for the Southern Portal, whichever one that was, because all of it was just  _too much._ "I feel like I don't belong here. They don't think I belong here, and I can  _feel it_." A few of the spirits began to shimmer and mutate, their bright light of color becoming marred into a more focused purple. They looked aggressive and predatory. They growled. Loudly. Dark Spirits. Asami froze and held Korra tighter. "How is this happening?  _How."_

They started moving. Toward her.

Korra stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the approaching spirits. "Asami, they know you're scared. They're reacting to your negative energy, and...okay, apparently Raava says touching me is amplifying it, which would have been great to know an hour ago, so they're reacting the same way they would if I were feeling this way." Korra wrapped her arms around her and buried her head in her shoulder. " _I'm not going to let go._ We can beat this. Just focus on me. Think positive. Hold me as hard as you can, and they'll back off."

Asami latched onto Korra for dear life. She could handle giant mechasuits. She could handle terrorists. She could handle week long socio-economics debates with the most infuriating industrial magnates imaginable. She could handle mind-numbing bureaucracy and near-traumatizing court hearings. She could handle quite literal home invasions. She could handle pretty much anything except for Dark Spirits. She couldn't hurt them. She couldn't beat them. She couldn't out think them. They made her feel helpless. Still, she focused on her breath, falling back on her old martial arts teachings. Breath. Wait. Listen. Then, her mind. Clearing it had always been a challenge for her, but...then she found herself thinking about their last few days together, and everything else just seemed to evaporate.

No vacation was perfect, as nothing was, but so far everything had just been wonderful and cathartic. She needed a break. They  _both_ needed a break. The best part, for her, was that it wasn't such a big deal. They walked. They talked. They were intimate---far more often than Korra had anticipated, apparently. They just  _were,_ and it felt right. She hadn't felt that relaxed and content in...she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like that.

"Asami," whispered Korra, stroking her hair. "Look."

Asami slowly disentangled herself and warily turned around. Everything was bright. The spirits seemed to dance and sing around the tree, and she swore she could hear some of them laughing. She stared at them in awe. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. It seemed impossible, but there it was. "I did that?" she asked cautiously.

"Yeah. That was you. Are you okay?"

Asami nodded silently as she gazed upon the spirits. They were mesmerizing. The way they moved with impossible grace and elegance. Entire spectrums of color she never knew existed. "You're right. I was scared. I still meant what I said about the noodles, but---"

"We can talk about the noodles later, okay? I promise." Korra firmly prodded her toward the heart of the tree. "For now, just focus on what we came here to do. Get in the tree," she said.

Asami stopped just at the edge of the hollow trunk and looked down inside of it. "Why are you so insistent that I do this first?"

Korra leaned against the opening of the tree and looked out toward one of the portals. "Because I've already been here twice before."

Asami sighed and decided that she'd come much too far to wuss out. She carefully stepped into the heart of the massive tree, sliding her gloved palm along the surprisingly comforting material of the interior wall. It seemed somehow familiar. She took off her right glove and pressed her palm against the tree again. It was soft, like skin.

Skin she  _knew._

It was her mother's.

A flash of lights flickered through the tree, and dozens of what looked like full color mover screens shimmered into existence around her. Her memories. Forgotten ones, prominent ones. Birthdays, bath times, playing with her mother's seldom used make up drawer, that time she set accidentally set the house on fire, her first tour of her father's factory, the first satomobile she made with him, the first one she made without him, the countless hours of self-defense classes, old pro-bending matches.

Asami was dumbstruck, but she managed to realize one crucial thing. None of those memories were from her own eyes. They were from her father's point of view. From her  _mother's_ point of view. Her first steps, her first words (of course it was 'daddy'), her first tooth, the last thing her mother saw.

Herself. Six years old. Terrified. Everything froze there, but she wasn't scared this time.

"If it makes you feel any better," Asami felt a hand on her shoulder. "I set my house on fire, too. That's how my parents found out I was the Avatar." She chuckled lightly. "First the rug, then the furs on the walls...pretty sure I burned off my dad's beard that day, too. He likes to leave out that part of the story."

Asami stared up at herself. "How am I seeing this?"

"Oh, right. This is the Tree of Time." Korra slid her hand down to Asami's and gave her a small squeeze. "Tenzin once told me that it remembers everything. Every memory. Every event. Everything that has ever happened to everyone."

"But why  _this?_ Why through my mom's eyes? My dad's?"

"I actually don't know for sure, because I didn't expect this, but if I had to take a guess..." She looked around the inside of the tree, as if searching for something. "Before Kuvira destroyed the swamp, there was a tree very much like this one. The Banyan Grove tree. The entire swamp was made up of the vines that came out of it. The spiritual energy it created was...sympathetic. A lot like the Spirit World, but more...suited to reacting to humans." Korra turned to her and smiled. "Sometimes we just see what we want to see, and other times we see what we need to. I think this is something you needed."

Asami's gaze didn't waver and her memories didn't continue flowing. Why did she need to see  _this?_ Her mother died years ago, and her father---

Oh.

Asami blinked. "You think I need to grieve for my father?" She felt like crying, but she couldn't place why. "Just like everyone else. That's what this is, right?"

"It's about you. If that's how you see it..." Korra stared at her for a moment. "He died three weeks ago, Asami. It's okay if---"

Asami turned away from her. "He was _murdered_."

"Right." Korra sighed. "Look, this isn't about _grieving,_ it's about remembering. I can always go home to my family. My parents. I wanted to give you that, or something like it."

"I..." Asami wrinkled her nose and looked back up at the image of younger self. Before that moment, she'd been so happy. Or possibly delusional; she was no longer sure. And after it, things were hard, but she still found happiness with her father. After he tried to kill her, it became more difficult, but Asami had always been an optimist. Against all odds and the pain and the suffering and _everything_ that had been thrown at her...things would always work out in the end, no matter how long it took, so she'd never given up hope. Her breath caught in her throat. "They aren't all bad memories."

"That's the idea." Korra smiled. "I thought maybe I'd watch this with you. You always talked about your dad in such a positive light before things changed, and I...feel like I need to see that. Through your eyes." She sighed. "People can change. Bad to good. Good to bad. Everything in between. The Hiroshi Sato who raised you is not the one I met, but I'd really like to, if that's okay."

Asami wiped budding tears from her eyes and released something that was equal parts sob and chuckle. "Yes. We can do that." She looked back up at her younger self and took a very deep breath. Her memories unfroze and flowed freely. "I think I'll start with my mom first, though."

"I'd like that."

They sat down against the back of the tree and settled in comfortably. Korra set their packs to one side and Asami placed a pillow behind their heads. She had a feeling they'd be there for a while. Korra wrapped her arms around Asami's waist and pulled her closer. 

Asami smiled. "Thanks."

"Think of it as me paying you back for the whole 'cactus juice' thing."

"You still need to tell me that story. All of it."

"Tell you what. We get through some of your choice memories, then we'll go through some of mine. Deal?"

"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **REVISION 6/11/2017:** As I've been going back and tweaking the entirety of this fic, along with the others in this series, since the very beginning, I felt it important to mention some of the larger changes I'm going to be making so it's all consistent. Originally, Asami's headspace here wasn't nearly as muddled, but after finishing RRaU and discussing the Asami Sato Saga of "Spin the Rails" as a whole over and over and over and over again with ficsandmusings, we decided that things could be a little more clear...especially considering the events of "Half the Pieces". Asami's refusal to grieve for her father is one of the central pillars of this entire narrative, and moving that closer to the forefront before her actions in later chapters helps with the overall execution. Korra's not convinced that Asami is totally fine with her dad being dead, same as she wasn't a week ago in ch9/10 of "Half the Pieces", but pushing the issue won't help and she knows that.
> 
> I also went back and forth on cutting Korra quoting Katara's bit from 4x02, since Asami asking that question may, on the surface, feel at odds with her headspace at the end of "Half the Pieces" but I decided that the interpretation of what she's asking is pretty adaptable. When I wrote it, it was surface level. Mostly. Now, it's more about...the world itself. What are they gonna have to do once they get back, and how are they gonna do it together? And Korra's right: it'll be interesting to find out. There's stuff they just can't plan for, and Asami needs a reminder of that sometimes. 
> 
> Lastly, the transition from "vacation" to "plot" was never as fluid or solid as it could have been. Chapter 4 and 5 are the worst offenders in that context, which I'm pretty sure is a big reason for why a decent amount of people just couldn't accept how emotionally raw things got with Asami later on and dropped this story. This became more concerning once "Spin the Rails" expanded to marry both my work and ficsandmusings's, as it became clear, from messages and comments, that people loved her take on Asami...but not mine, believing them to be completely different. They are, of course, completely identical interpretations and methodologies. She's emotionally unhealthy (it's bad, you guys) and a hardcore INFJ. She's, in canon, the single angriest character in the show by a large margin with 100% consistency. Anyway, I still think the execution is good, of how I conveyed this, but it could be better...so I'm making it better. Smoother. 
> 
> **ORIGINAL NOTES** : Asami's rant on the noodles is slightly based off the thoughts that run through my head every few months in regards to smart phones. There is a rectangle in my pocket that does basically everything. How is that not amazing?! Yes, Korra is quoting both Katara and her own hallucination version of Asami in this piece. She thinks she's being clever, but Asami won't get that until they get through her memories. I thought it was cute, though I'm unsure of how that came off. Same goes for portraying Korra and Asami's very different styles of thinking without making Korra look like an idiot. I don't think I made her look stupid, but I'm a little worried it could come off like that. The tree of time showing memories from a different perspective is how I think Korra's in-universe way of explaining how she sees parts of her own show in the Tree of Time would go. It's probably not totally accurate, but she gets the heart of it right. As always, feedback is very much appreciated. No matter how small or scathing your thoughts may be, I'd love to hear 'em. :)


	2. Just Add Hot Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Destiny is a curious thing, but then, so are noodles.

_Three Weeks, One Day after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Autumn, 174 A.G._  

Korra couldn't sleep.

Asami, however, was very much asleep, if the soft, slow breathing at the nape her neck was any indication. Her arms were wrapped around Korra's waist, and she was pretty sure they couldn't be physically closer to each other if they'd tried. They had packed two bedrolls, but for the past week they'd only ever used the one. And it felt  _ right. _

At first, she compared the warmth she felt in Asami's arms with the feeling she got when cuddling with Naga. She very quickly realized just how wrong of a thought that was. It was  _ nothing  _ like that. Sure, both were 'warm', but Naga wasn't...it just wasn't the same. It wasn't the same, and Korra cherished that. It was better. Not quite safety, not quite comfort, and not quite affection either.

Vulnerability.

Asami made her feel vulnerable, but somehow it didn't terrify her. It made her feel stronger and more confident. Korra was baffled by that, but if something worked, sometimes it just wasn't worth questioning. What mattered was that it worked.

Korra tried focusing on Asami's heartbeat to clear her head. That had worked with Naga. She scowled at herself. She  _ really  _ needed to stop making that comparison. 

Especially since she wasn't having sex with  _ Naga _ . Ugh.

While the Tree of Time may not have been the most comfortable place to camp for the night---not to mention the most romantic---she could only blame herself for her predicament. Watching, or rather reliving, some of the happiest moments of Asami's life with her had emotionally drained Korra more than she'd thought possible. Through the eternal memory of the tree, Korra had been able to give Asami part of her life back, and she even got to share the experience with her.

Needless to say, the visceral revelation that Hiroshi Sato was  _ so unlike  _ the man she'd met all those years ago hit her hard. Korra had thought that seeing Asami's mother would be bittersweet, and it was, but it was nothing compared to the monstrous change in her father.

Thus, Korra couldn't sleep.

Korra had actually managed to grow fond of the man. He was a kind, compassionate, brilliant, supportive, and genuinely warm person. Above all, though, he had truly loved his daughter more than anything. Korra watched the key moments, all the while knowing in the back of her head that his pain would become hatred and that he would try to murder his own daughter. Korra hadn't been there to see it the first time, but she'd stuck it out to make sure she was for the second viewing. She needed to understand. She wanted to sympathize with Asami, desperately. She just...she just  _ needed  _ to. The 'why' didn't matter at the moment.

"Asami," she whispered.

No response.

Korra knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she'd aired out her feelings. She'd learned that much. Normally, she'd have a one-way conversation with Naga- Korra huffed and tensed everywhere. If she kept making that comparison she'd just have to beat it out of...herself? That didn't make any sense.

Sense. Logic. Tenzin.

Meditation! Yes! That could work. Maybe. Korra slowly slinked out from Asami's arms, being extremely careful not to wake her. Of course, that was impossible because Asami was being very resistant about letting her go.

"Mmm." Asami grumbled. "Have to pee?" she mumbled, still clearly half asleep.

Korra frowned and silently nodded her head. She hated lying, and she was really bad at it. Even half asleep she knew Asami would recognize her insincerity if she actually  _ said  _ yes. But, since they were so close-she couldn't do it. Not to Asami. "No. I just can't sleep. I've got way too much on my mind. Will you be okay if I step outside for a few minutes? I want to try meditating."

She felt Asami's heart rate spike for a brief moment before calming down. "You can talk to me. It's not the end of the world if we don't sleep."

"I would, and I know but...it's your life I can't stop thinking about."

Asami sighed and her arms went slack. "Okay. Just don't go too far. I don't want any dark spirits to eat me," she chuckled darkly. Korra could tell she wasn't really kidding. Very few things scared Asami, and Korra had witnessed firsthand exactly how terrified she could get when faced with dark spirits.

Korra pulled herself out of the bedroll and got to her feet. "It's rare for spirits to eat people, but I'll make sure they stay away." She slipped on her boots and fastened them. She looked back over her shoulder and saw that Asami had already fallen back to sleep. Where Korra had come out of Asami's life distraught, she'd emerged...calmer. Asami feeling better was part of the plan. Torturing herself was not.

Korra silently walked to the large hole in the tree trunk. She squinted, trying to find an even patch of ground she could use to calm her mind on. Of course, she could just earthbend some of it smooth, but changing things like that in the Spirit World felt wrong. It'd be like disturbing the peaceful pond of the moon and ocean spirits.

Some things just weren't meant to be done.

"I thought I sensed you around here somewhere."

Korra looked down at the base of the tree, following the voice, and just for a moment she stood there, mouth slightly agape. There was Iroh, lantern in one hand, teapot in the other. The single most friendly and welcoming smile she'd ever laid eyes on. She put a finger to her lips and shook her head. He nodded, clearly understanding that he needed to be quiet. Korra slid down the tree with a grin and wrapped him in a big hug.

"It is good to see you again, Korra."

Korra took a step back to examine him. He seemed shorter, but of course that was because she'd gotten taller. "It's good to see you, too," she whispered. "How have you been?"

Iroh shrugged. "Oh, I've been about the same for the last sixty years. Happy and healthy. What about you?" He frowned and looked very concerned. "You were gone for a very long time. I was worried that the worst had come to pass for you."

Korra gave him a small smile. "It almost did. But...then it didn't."

"Such is life, I suppose. You know, you are not a very good storyteller. You think I wouldn't notice a  _ third  _ spirit portal? Everyone noticed. In fact, Wan Shi Tong would like to ask you a few questions about that, because he is baffled as to how you were able create a new portal. I have never seen that old bird so flustered." He grinned.

"It's a long story."

"I figured as much. I tried telling him that it was because you were the Avatar, but he was not satisfied with that answer. Still, you look troubled." He set down his lantern rested a hand on her shoulder. "Though it does not seem too terrible. One of these days, it would be nice to see you when you're not in need. Just to mix things up a little."

Korra gave him a tiny, appreciative smile. "I want that, too."

Iroh lifted his teapot, and Korra realized it was  _ that  _ teapot. The one Wan had carried Raava in more than ten thousand years ago. "Would you like some tea?"

"I'd love some." Korra smiled. "We have to be quiet, though." She carefully helped Iroh up into the heart of the tree. "Asami's sleeping. Today took a lot out of her," she whispered.

Iroh looked over at Asami and raised a brow. "Did it now..."

"Not like that." Korra's blushed. "Well,  _ yes _ , like that but also...other things."

Iroh chuckled. "Why don't we start with the tea, hm?"

"Please." Korra sat down and motioned for Iroh to join her. He set down his lantern between them and fished two cups out of his pockets. Korra took the one he offered her. "She lost her father about a month ago. For the second time, actually. She doesn't have any family left. I took her here because I thought it would make her feel better if she was able to...sort of relive all the good times she had with her mom and dad."

Iroh smiled and poured them both a cup of tea. Steam rose as he did, and the lantern made their shadows dance across the walls of the tree. "It sounds like she's important to you."

"Yes. She is." She took a sip of her tea and couldn't help but smile. Jasmine. "She seemed more at ease when she went to bed, so I think it might have helped. As for me..." She sighed. "I didn't realize how painful it would be to more or less  _ relive her childhood  _ all the while knowing what would happen next."

Iroh drank some of his tea and scratched his beard. "I am not familiar with this story. Perhaps, if you told me, I could be of better help."

Korra nodded. "Asami's parents were the both the children of Fire Nation colonists and Earth Kingdom citizens. She lost her mother when she was six. Firebenders broke into their home, probably trying to rob them, and her mom got in the way. None of them are benders, so they couldn't defend themselves. I watched that happen today." She held in a sob and covered her eyes with her hand. "For the next thirteen years, Asami's dad, Hiroshi, raised her all on his own. And she idolized him. But, the whole time, he was harboring this...genocidal hatred towards benders because one murdered his wife." She bit her lip. "I'm...pretty sure both of her parents resented benders long before that, for good reason, but never to the point of bombing a city."

Iroh raised his brows. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about Hiroshi  _ Sato _ , would you?"

"Yes. You've heard of him?"

"I have, and in more ways than one. Everyone heard about what Amon did. How he claimed to be chosen by the spirits. We don't like that kind of thing. It is very rude to lie about that," he said playfully. "Anyway, I did hear that Hiroshi Sato was a big part of the revolution. I was sad to hear that a man that I had once thought to be very charitable and whole had fallen so far. I suppose his humble beginnings did nothing to stem his anger."

"Wait, how do you know about that?"

"Toph was good friends with Hiroshi's father, but that was a long time ago. Back then, there were no Satos. Only a young man named Satoru who had a dream and a brilliant mind. But, because of the era in which he was born, no one would take him seriously. So he passed that dream on to his son. Hiroshi."

Korra locked her eyes on Iroh as she drank her tea, not wanting to miss a moment. "What was the dream?"

"A better world," he lamented. "Where benders and non-benders were not thought of as separate peoples. Where it didn't matter where you were from. As long as you had a good heart, you would be welcomed with open arms."

Korra raised her brows. "That was...Aang and Zuko's dream. That's the United Republic."

"A lot of people had that dream, Korra. I guess just as many have forgotten that."

Korra was silent for a few moments. "So I guess you know the story, then. Asami... _ chose  _ what was right over her only family. She had so many chances to just go back to her father, but she never did." Korra bowed her head. "She was more willing to lose  _ everything  _ but the clothes on her back if it meant doing the right thing. She lost her family, her name, her home, her legacy. And then I stole her boyfriend. That didn't last, though."

Iroh huffed and poured himself another cup. "I think I'm going to need more of this. And so do you..." he said, filling her own. "What did she do, after she had lost everything?"

Korra gratefully took another sip. "She...took it all back, and more. Even the guy, for a little while. That didn't last either. She rebuilt her company. She took back her home. She restored her good name. She made her company something that people could trust. Airships, airplanes, trains, roads, construction work, water...anything and everything to help people."

"It sounds like you look up to her."

Korra hesitated, but then nodded. "I do. It's hard to wrap my head around how she was able to just keep going after life kept taking things from her." She furrowed her brow. "She lost everything. Twice. And just kept going."

Iroh smiled and looked over at Asami's sleeping form for a moment. "Did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, she never quite lost everything? That perhaps there was something that defined her so strongly, that she could never lose it?"

"No, but I feel like I should have."

"If what you're telling is true about Asami, then the reason she was able to keep going could not be more simple," he said, his smile slowly growing. "At some point in her life, she decided that no matter how much pain and suffering she has to endure, no matter how many people she loses, and no matter how much is taken from her, her life is worth living. Because, in the end, she truly believes that everything will work out for the best. That if she waits, and listens for the right moment, she will find true happiness."

Korra stared at Iroh. He was right. He was completely _ right. _ "I...think, deep down, I already knew that. I just couldn't put it into words."

She herself had persevered through her pain in a similar way. They had both been made to suffer. Targeted with malice. Where Asami lost her father, she had, at one point, lost her own. She was  _ so sure  _ her father had organized a kidnapping of his own brother during the Water Tribe civil war that it nearly shattered her confidence in him. They had both felt betrayed by their fathers, and it was a pain they both shared. It was only then that Korra finally realized it. The tragic difference was...Korra had been wrong. Her father had nothing to do with the act in question, but Hiroshi had  _ everything  _ to do with his own crimes. Tears started flowing down her cheeks with no warning at all. She closed her eyes, sobbed quietly a few times, and drank her tea.

"Korra, never underestimate the power of hope and optimism. There is nothing in this world or the material world that can take them away from you. You have to chose to give them up, because they are something you give yourself. That is what makes them so powerful."

"Do you just go around memorizing these beautiful things to say to people, or are you making it up as you go along?" said Korra, wiping her tears away. She felt her mind clear of the grief she had filled it with, the one that wasn't hers to begin with.

Iroh chuckled quietly with a big smile. "Well, in this case, the one about hope, I've told people that one more times than I can remember. But as for the rest..." He made a 'so-so' gesture with his hand. "It's little bit of both. Giving people guidance when they need it most is just like any other skill. You only need to practice, and eventually you'll become very good at it. Not as good as me, since I've been doing this for a very long time, but good enough."

Korra smiled kindly and tilted her head. "Thank you. I feel a lot better."

Iroh shook his head. "Oh, we're not done yet. Asami, you can come join us now."

Korra froze in place as Asami sat down next to her. Of course that would happen to her. Of course Asami would wake up and hear  _ everything.  _ Asami took her hand and intertwined their fingers. "...how long were you awake?"

"I never managed to fall asleep again," she said quietly. Her eyes were red and puffy. They'd talk later. "You must be Iroh. It's an honor to finally meet you. I've read so much about you from your nephew's books." She gave him a small bow. "I'd heard that you became a spirit, but I didn't...know what that meant exactly."

Iroh smiled and bowed back to her. "Trust me, the honor is mine. Or, at least I hope it is. That all depends on the kind of person you are, Asami."

Asami shrugged. "You figured me out like I was an open book. What more is there to know?" She sighed. "I'd ask if you really knew Grandpa Satoru, but there are only maybe a dozen people left alive who actually know that's where my name comes from. And...if you're anything like the Iroh I've read about, you wouldn't lie to me."

Iroh nodded. "Very perceptive. Your eyes, are they your mother's?"

"Yes, they are."

"Is this the case for the rest of you, as well?"

Asami raised a brow. "This is a strange path of questioning."

Iroh chuckled. "Each one has a purpose, I promise."

Asami paused for a moment. "Alright. Well, no, I'm not only my mother. I'm not sure anyone is. "

"That is good to hear. Is everything that Korra said about you true? Do you focus not on personal gain, but of how you can make the world a better place to live?"

Asami nodded. "My shareholders aren't too fond that I don't mind operating at a loss, for that reason, but I do make the effort, yes."

"Why?"

"Because I have to.  Someone has to, and I have the resources, and the means." She frowned slightly.  "Most people don't seem to think that means very much, though."

"It means more than you know, Asami. It means that your grandfather's dream, my nephew's dream, and Aang's dream of a better world is finally possible. Not to mention the thousands and thousands of others who have struggled and waited for that day to come."

"I'm...flattered that you think I can change the world like that, but the reality is that I can't. There's only so much I can do. I'm just one woman," said Asami.

Iroh smirked. "And yet, so is Korra."

"That's different. She's the Avatar."

"The beauty in that statement is that, for ten thousand years, it was true. Now, and only now, is it finally wrong." He put his hands in his lap. "You see, this time, destiny did not only choose Korra. It also chose  _ you _ ."

" _ What?"  _ Korra and Asami asked, in unison.

"Asami is as important in the material world as the Avatar is in the spirit world. She is the kind of person that Aang and Zuko hoped would one day exist. The United Republic brings people together from all nations and cultures, and Asami is the culmination of that hope." He chuckled with hint of disbelief. "You are part both Earth and Fire, and yet you are neither of those things. You are immovable. You are selfless simply because it is the right thing to do. You are not a bender. You can endure any pain, and you possess the drive and passion to accomplish anything you set your mind to, no matter how difficult the path may be."

Asami opened her mouth, but almost instantly closes it. She averted her gaze from Iroh. "I don't know how to respond to that other than 'thank you', but somehow I feel like that doesn't give your words justice." Asami folded her hands in her lap. "With all due respect, Iroh, and as much as I appreciate the compliments, I think you may be overstating my importance. Again, I have influence, but I really don't think I'm worthy of all the faith you've put in me."

Iroh shook his head. "That is where you are wrong." He scratched his beard. "Perhaps there is a better way to show you that..." He smiled. "You wouldn't happen to have a cup of instant noodles, would you?"

Asami wrinkled her nose and nodded. "Yeah. We have tons of them." She quickly retrieved one from their bags and handed it to Iroh.

"Thank you." He laughed. "Zuko came up with this after he tried to explain it to Aang for...I want to say it was several days. I may need a few moments to remember it accurately, as it was a very long time ago." He opened the cup and looked inside. "You know, it is truly amazing how, in the right perspective, something as small as a cup of noodles can mean everything."

Asami turned to Korra with mischievous grin. "So, you're saying that noodles  _ aren't just noodles _ ?"

"What? No, they're just noodles."

Asami huffed.

"For now, at least." Iroh looked at Asami. "Okay, you are the noodles."

"...I'm the noodles?" she asked, pointing to her chest.

"Yes, and Korra you are the hot water."

Korra laughed. "Yes. Yes I am."

Iroh gave her a blank stare. "Katara made that same joke over seventy years ago. No one laughed."

"Fine. Whatever." Korra pouted.

"Korra, the role of the Avatar is to be a bridge between the spirit world and the material world, as well as bringing balance to the world. Somewhere in history, people got a little confused, and started to believe that the Avatar was supposed to bring balance to the material world. It is an interesting interpretation, but not entirely accurate. Bringing balance to the world means that you must bring balance to  _ both  _ worlds."

"I already knew that. Everyone does."

"Did you, though?"

Korra thought back for a moment. Amon. The Equalists. Harmonic Convergence. The Red Lotus. The Earth Empire. Each and every time, she was fighting to restore peace and balance to the  _ material  _ world first and foremost, even if the end result inadvertently helped the spirit world. She had become much more spiritual over the years, but to have simply missed this about her method of approach made her stomach turn. "...no. No, I didn't. Everything I did was to protect the material world. I care about the Spirit World too, of course, but I guess it's just...I value the lives of humans more than those of spirits. And I don't feel bad about that, but I'm pretty sure I should."

Asami shook her head. "No, you shouldn't. If there's one thing I know about spirits, it's that they can't die. They're just reincarnated into something new, right?"

"More or less," said Iroh. "The point I'm trying to make, at least for the moment, is that there has always been a missing piece in the world that everyone has tried to fill with the Avatar. It has never worked." He smiled. "The Avatar travels to each nation and learns their cultures and element. That is the cycle. Now, it is only natural to assume that the Avatar would be the most suited to bring balance and harmony to the material world. To bring people together to form a greater sense of community and trust."

Korra blinked. Something had just clicked inside of her head. "...but they're wrong. Just because the Avatar possesses the knowledge of the four nations and cultures, that doesn't mean they  _ embody  _ them. The Avatar is, and always has been, a  _ guest  _ in the nation that is not their own. I'm southern water tribe, and that's all I'll ever be. That's all I ever want to be."

Asami rubbed her chin. "But if it's not the Avatar, then who is supposed to fill that void? No one else is qualified to be a bridge between peoples." She blinked. "Wait, you said destiny chose  _ me?  _ You can't possibly be implying that  _ I'm  _ supposed to be the bridge between peoples because of my heritage. That's absurd."

"It is not only because of your heritage. It is also, and far more importantly, about who you are as person."

"Once again, I'm flattered but..." Asami frowns. "I...I'm afraid I still don't quite understand how that makes me a...bridge. I'm only human."

"So was Korra when she beat Vaatu."

Korra chuckled awkwardly. "Yup. I  _ really  _ lucked out on the spiritbending being a discipline of waterbending and not energybending."

"I'm also not a bender, though."

"When has that ever stopped you from achieving great things? Ah, I think I remember how Zuko explained this." Iroh put the cup of noodles on the floor of the tree. "The noodles, without the water, are dry and separate. They break easily, just like the bonds between many different kinds of people. They are brittle and stubborn. They do not have the desire to change. But, once you add the water..." He poured hot water into the cup from his teapot. Asami looked into it through the rising steam. "You have to let it settle, because even though change can happen much faster these days, that does not mean it is truly instant. Just like the noodles. Then, you watch, you listen, you prepare." He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started stirring the noodles.

Korra furrowed her brow. "...and, once the noodles are ready, they want to stick together. Stirring them around makes big clumps of them so you can eat more at once."

Asami looked to Korra. "Which means that more and more people will find trust in one another." She turned to Iroh, mesmerized. "A greater understanding. A stronger sense of community."

Iroh held up his chopsticks, displaying a large tangle of noodles. "Exactly. The water gives the world life and meaning. It can guide us all toward peace and understanding, but that can only happen if the noodles, and the people, are willing to listen. It has to be fresh, or you will lose your only chance at the making the world whole."

Asami looked at Korra and then back at Iroh. "I...but if I  _ am  _ this...bridge between peoples...why would people listen to me? I haven't been in politics for very long, and it's not like I've done anything more than fostering better relations between the Earth Kingdom and the United Republic through trade agreements" She furrowed her brow and her eyes flicked toward the lantern. "...and rebuilt Republic City, body and spirit wilds intact."

"Don't forget strengthening the Air Nation. Because I won't, and neither will they," said Korra.

Iroh grinned. "You see, Asami? You are the noodles. You are the people. They look to you for guidance, just as much as they do to Korra, even if you do not realize it. The Spirit Wilds would have been been destroyed long ago if not for your respect for them. When you speak, they listen because they know what you have to say is meaningful, and from your heart."

"Are you trying to tell me that..." Asami narrowed her eyes. "...I'm the Avatar of  _ the people _ ?"

"No, no, of course not." Iroh laughed and waved her off. "That's ridiculous. There can't be  _ two  _ Avatars, because we all know how well that worked out. However, you are not entirely wrong in that assumption. Your roles are not so different." He took a thoughtful sip of his tea. "The both of you strive to solve problems, but in very different ways. If a tunnel needed to be carved through a mountain so a village would not starve, what would you do?"

Korra shrugged. "Earthbend the tunnel and ask the Air Nation to fly in farming supplies so the villagers can get back on their feet and become self-sustaining."

Asami paused a moment before answering. "I would probably build a manually operated drill that would require minimal maintenance and donate it to the village. That way, they could create their own tunnel, and any others they may need in the future." She hummed. "I'd also help make a well from the ground water. Their crops are probably dying out due to a drought, and they can't get help because they're isolated. If that's not the case, then I'd find out the real reason they were starving to begin with, and help them solve  _ that  _ problem."

"I like your idea better."

"Thank you."

Iroh chuckled. "Despite what you may think, neither answer is better than the other. They are both excellent ways to solve the same problem, but the difference is that Asami chose to give them the tools to  _ solve their own problems  _ in the future."

Korra looked at Asami. "You do that  _ a lot _ ."

"I..." Asami slowly nodded. "I do, don't I?"

Korra nodded. "If your letters were anything to go by, yeah. You did the same thing with the poorer districts of Republic City. You wrote on and on about how you built low-income housing. How you struggled to keep schools open with donations, and everyone called you crazy for 'throwing your money away' because you didn't ask for anything in return." She closed her eyes.

Asami looked at the ground and blushed. "Korra---"

"I'm not done. You started dozens of community outreach programs for the unemployed and homeless to learn a trade, or skill, and helped thousands find jobs and even homes." She sighed with content. "You told me what that did, how so many families were able to crawl out of the gutter because of that. Because of what you did.

"Unemployment has never been lower," mumbled Asami. Then, she chuckled.  "And organized crime dropped off a cliff!" she laughed. "Lin actually complained that she  _ couldn't complain  _ about that, because the police just don't see as much action as they used to."

"See? You've done so much, and you really don't give yourself enough credit." Korra shifted and looked back at Iroh. "But, how is that, all of what Asami did, not the better option? What she did was beyond amazing. I couldn't have accomplished any of that."

Iroh shrugged. "Perhaps you're right, perhaps not. Even so, can you honestly say that Asami would have succeeded if she were put into your position?"

Korra reluctantly shook her head. "No. There are some things you just can't think your way out of, and sometimes there isn't anything to build that could help."

Asami chuckled. "I am completely confident in saying that I would have died well over a thousand times if I had to do Korra's job. It really doesn't bother me."

"There will always be many solutions to a problem," said Iroh. "And there is no way to know for sure what the best option is." Iroh leaned forward and placed his hands on both of their shoulders. "Alone, you and Asami can do great things. The world has seen that already. But together, there is no limit to what you can accomplish." He looked at Asami. "As the noodles..."

"And the hot water," finished Korra.

Iroh grinned and patted them both on the shoulders. "Yes! Exactly! Korra, you could be the first Avatar to bring  _ true _ balance to both worlds. A  _ third  _ portal is only your first step in doing that, for humans no longer have to travel through blizzards to see the spirit world. And you would be succeeding where my nephew and Aang did not," he said, a little downtrodden. He sat back down and drank some of his tea. "Zuko was the noodles once, and Aang was the water. However, the world was simply not ready. It is now, I know it, and I am thankful that there is a chance that my nephew will live to see it happen."

Korra and Asami exchanged a very long look. Korra smiled. "Well, what do you say, Asami? Up for being the noodles?"

Asami stared at her for a moment. "Which would make you the water." Asami held up her palm before Korra could 'correct' her mistake about her title. She was the hot water! Well, it did sound...more than a little silly, when she thought about it.

"I think I can handle that."

Iroh clapped his hands together. "Wonderful. Well, I really should be going." He gathered his things. Torch in one hand, teapot in the other. "I had a lovely time. I would be honored if you came to visit me, but perhaps under better circumstances."

Asami gave him a little bow. "We would love to. Thank you for the invitation."

"Such good manners! So rare these days," he laughed, bowing in return to Asami.

Korra frowned. "What? You're leaving? Just like that...?"

Iroh smiled. "You are not the only one who needs guidance now and then, you know."

She bobbed her head a few times. "That's true, I guess. Well, it was great seeing you again. Thanks for the talk. It was certainly...eye opening."

"You are welcome. Now, come help an old man down from this tree. It's steeper than I remember."

Korra chuckled and rose to her feet. "Sure. I'll be right back." She helped him through the threshold and down the smooth bark of the tree. "I didn't realize that spirits had difficulties like this."

"Oh, we don't. I just needed to talk to you alone for a few minutes."

"Parting words?"

"In a manner of speaking." He gave her that friendly smile of his and looked deep into her eyes. She felt somehow safer and comforted. "Asami seems more troubled than she lets on."

Korra frowned. “I know. I’m  _ trying  _ to help her, but I just don’t know what she’s going through. I can’t know.”

“She has you, Korra. That may not be everything she needs, but it is more than you believe it to be.”

“I hope you’re right.” 

“From what I have seen of love over many, many years...this is one of the few things that I can say with certainty: I am right.” Iroh sighed. "Young love is a powerful force, but it also very clumsy. It can consume your entire being, until the only thing that defines you is your love. I get the feeling you have experienced that yourself. When you get older, you realize that there are many kinds of love. The love your parents have for you, the love you have for your friends, and even the love you have for Tenzin are all very different."

Korra nodded for him to continue. “They are.”

"Those kinds of love are not so hard to find, if you know where to look. But, the love you…. _ may  _ feel for Asami is more rare than you could ever imagine. If you feel there is a chance, no matter how small, that you can find happiness in each other, then you owe it yourself to try and make it a reality."

Korra smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I know you will.” He stroked his beard. “Now that I think about it, there is one more thing to remember in your travels.”

“What is it?”

“A question. If you had to, would you give up being the Avatar if it meant you could be with the one you love?"

Korra's mind went blank. She'd  _ never  _ considered abandoning her duty, her birthright, as an actual option. As a thing that was possible. Who would do that? Who would even  _ think  _ of doing that? Being the Avatar was a part of her, and while it was no longer the  _ only  _ part of her, it was still a strong portion of her identity. To give it up would mean she'd lose a part of herself, just like when she'd lost her bending. Yet, if she loved someone, truly loved them with everything she was, and could only be with her if it meant sacrificing one the single most important things in the world, Korra would...

Korra would have no idea what to do. She stared off into the distance. "I don’t know."

"And I hope you never do," he said, grinning.

Korra wrinkled her nose and looked back at Iroh with confusion. "What? I don't understand."

"It is a question that every Avatar must consider, but some questions are best left unanswered. Out of the past six Avatars, only one of them was able to find an answer," he said, his voice filling with grief. "And he suffered greatly because of it."

Korra furrowed her brow. Which one? To her knowledge, it wasn't Aang, nor Roku, Kyoshi, or even Yangchen. Which meant that it was Kuruk. She knew the story. The woman he loved had lost her face to Koh the Face Stealer, and he made it his life's goal to take revenge on the malicious spirit. And he failed. "Kuruk."

"Yes. He abandoned his duties for personal revenge, and never looked back. At that point, he stopped being a true Avatar. He was simply a lonely, angry man who just so happened to be able to bend all of the elements."

Korra nodded. "I promise you, no matter what, I won't make that mistake."

Iroh smiled. "I know. I never doubted you, but it is still important to be aware of these things. Just in case." He cleared his throat. "Okay,  _ now  _ it is time for me to leave. I don't want to miss my weekly Pai Sho tournament!"

Korra gave him a big hug. "I...we'll come back to visit soon. I promise."

"I am already looking forward to it." With that, he walked off into the distance, disappearing back into the unknowable folds of the spirit world.

Korra silently climbed back up into the tree and found that Asami was still awake. Her eyes were red and puffy again. Korra sat down next to her and rubbed her back. Asami rested her head on her shoulder.

"Private words for the Avatar?"

"Sort of. Mostly advice, but I think it’ll be helpful.”

"That's good."

They were silent for a few minutes, and it was comfortable. Peaceful. Korra stroked her hair and went through everything she could remember about the night's rather...stunning conversation. She thought she'd been emotionally drained after watching Asami's life, but after her talk with Iroh she was pretty sure her bones were hollow.

"I know we...sort of made a joke about the whole thing, but..." Asami rubbed Korra's arm. "Am I crazy if I believe him? That I think he's right about this, to a certain extent? Excluding the part about destiny choosing me, I...it makes sense to me. It makes  _ a lot  _ of sense, actually. It sounds absurd, me being the noodles, but if we worked together like Iroh suggested..." She turned to her, green eyes full of conviction. "I really think we can change things for the better."

Korra smiled. Iroh definitely made some good points, and the deeper meaning behind it all hit her close to home, even if the way he explained it was ridiculous. Much like everything else when it came to Asami, it was worth a try. "I think it's worth a shot. It's not so different then what we're already doing. The only real change is that we...just gained some new awareness, I guess." She screwed up her face and rolled her eyes. "Raava says that 'destiny choosing you', while a nice sentiment, is utterly ridiculous. Her words, not mine."

Asami gave her a wide smile. "That's good. Having her endorsement is definitely something I'd put on advertisements if I could prove it."

Korra chuckled. She chewed the inside of her lip and decided that she may as well get the conversation over with then and there. Hopefully it wouldn't be too awkward. "Do you want to talk about what...I said to Iroh? About you?"

Asami shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about. In a good way. You understand. That's what matters." She covered Korra's free hand with her own. "...actually, there is something that you said that I want to talk about. Kind of."

"What is it?"

"You...you said I took everything back, and more. For me, when I pick myself up out of the mud, it's the confidence that I  _ will  _ take it all back that keeps me going, but that..." Asami hesitated and bit her lip. "...'something more' is by far the most important part of that process." She took a deep breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, after this week, and the both of us just...dancing around it, because it's  _ big  _ but we're not exactly saying that it is..." Her hands squeezed Korra's own. "I know what this is to me. Us. This time, I want  _ you  _ to be that 'something more'."

_ If you feel there is a chance, no matter how small, that you can find happiness in each other, then you owe it yourself to try and make it a reality. _

It surprised Korra just how quickly she came to a decision once the question had  _ actually been asked.  _ The vacation was...was it a test? To make sure they could really make it work? Korra didn't know, and she honestly didn't care. She knew what she wanted, and for once, it was really that simple. So she kissed her. "I want that, too."

And...that was that. Korra felt an enormous weight of tension and anxiety leave the heart of the tree like a blast of wind.

Asami smiled. "So...do you want to go to Narook's when we get back?"

Korra gave her a crooked grin. "I'd love to,  _ noodles _ ."

Asami's entire face twitched. "...that is  _ not  _ going to be a nickname, do you understand?"

"Okay, okay! I was just kidding." She laughed. "Come on, let's try this whole sleeping thing again."

They practically collapsed on top of one another on the bedroll, with Asami's head fitting snugly in the crook of Korra's neck. Korra pulled the blanket over them both.

Asami stirred. "Are we still going to go through my memories tomorrow? We don't have to, if you'd rather not."

Korra stroked her hair. "No, we do have to. You deserve the whole story, not just snippets of what I can remember."

"Okay, but after that  _ no more of this heavy stuff."  _ Asami yawned.  _ " _ "I don't think I can handle any more emotional revelations like these."

"...me either. Night, Asami." Korra closed her eyes and felt sleep slowly overtake her.

"Goodnight, Korra."

Just before she drifted off, she felt Asami turn and kiss her.

And just like that, everything felt  _ right  _ again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **REVISION 6/11/2017:** Okay, it still blows my damn mind that you people actually liked this. Like, sincerely loved and adored this idea. The Noodles and Hot Water thing. And my surprise is not for the reason you're assuming; it's because _this was meant to be satirical_. I don't like pet names. I find them cringe worthy and they always sound forced, as if the couple is trying to assert their affections for one another when, ideally, that should never be something to truly question. You shouldn't need a constant reminder that your partner cares for you, right? 
> 
> So, I thought at like 3am on 12/20/14, what if I wrote the single stupidest, most moronic, asinine and embarrassing pet names I could come up with? I'd been in fandom long enough to know how other fics would approach this (Satobot, Sparky, 'Sami, and K-Bear already existing at the time, iirc) and I wanted to get ahead of the brunt of it, if I could. Obviously, it tied into the larger narrative I was constructing in the back of my head, but the point I was trying to make, overall...was that this was stupid. In my opinion, writing Korrasami with pet names is just...wrong? Like, objectively wrong. They're too comfortable with another to resort to something like that, and confident in the other's feelings towards them that they don't need a reminder like this. Asami even goes out of her way to delicately comment on how stupid they sound and constantly rolls her eyes, through the _entire story_ everytime Korra uses it. Which is why Korra uses it...because it's a funny, stupid joke that Asami, in the end, does actually find entertaining.
> 
> The whole idea of Asami being this perfect representation of non-benders is not a new one, though at the time it wasn't fully solidified in the collective fandom consciousness, if memory serves. It's one of the huge reasons why Korrasami even works, and why this story is even possible. As for Iroh's question about love...Korra's headspace is hard to get into if you're not used to her yet, and at the time I just sorta wasn't as keyed in as I was now, so those changes, including how Korra asserts Asami's accomplishments rather than Asami voicing them herself...which she wouldn't do. Anyway, regarding love...at the time, I was trying to make a point about how one shouldn't put so much stock in that goal post, the "I love you" moment, but now, after things have settled...it sorta works against the narrative, so I added some internal bits. 
> 
> Korra DOES love Asami here, and she has for a long time, and more or less became aware of it during "Half the Pieces". Asami...is far more sure of this, but wouldn't be able to bring herself to "say the magic words" at this current point in time...but what she says, before they go to bed, if you look at it, and this I like...didn't change at all from the original script... It's far more meaningful than just "I love you". It speaks volumes more to their relationship and what it means for the both of them, and even touches on Asami's...less than healthy state. I'm really not a fan of these "standard relationship beats", as they feel forced much like the pet names do, but I'm not going to force that opinion down anyone's throat. That being said, when those words ARE said, and I'll touch on this in greater detail within that chapter in the interest of first time readers, it's not the first time. I kept that a little vague by design, as that was my intention.
> 
> For other words, ramblings, extra stuff, Asami Sato and/or Kate Kane fangirling and other assorted fun things you can follow me on tumblr at [progmanx.tumblr.com!](progmanx.tumblr.com)
> 
>  **ORIGINAL NOTES:** I was running through scenarios in my head about how I could have 'tea time' with Iroh, but without making it too fluffy, and...then this happened. I realized about 3/4s of the way through writing the entire noodle explanation that there's no way Iroh would think of this, and that it was just dorky enough for Zuko. Silver sandwich, anyone? Oh, and Iroh's whole thing here is supposed to be a little more grandiose than it needed to be. It was just 'off' enough for Asami to try to find a deeper meaning behind it, and for Korra to take it with a grain of salt. The message, the heart of it, is sincere, but neither of them would have internalized it as well if Iroh had been direct about it. As always, feedback is very much appreciated. No matter how small, strange, random or scathing your thoughts are, I'd love to hear 'em! :)


	3. Buy Two, Get One Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra gets too excited and, uhh....yeah. Bolin hosts a benefit concert.

_One Month after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Autumn, 174 A.G._

"Asami, maybe you should just put the books back," sighed Korra.

Asami had insisted that they visit Wan Shi Tong's Spirit Library almost instantly after Korra had explained its existence. Which was really just second hand information from Jinora. She had nearly exploded with excitement at the prospect of...whatever it was she was researching, Korra wasn't entirely sure. Something about spirit energy and the way that both worlds intersected. It made Asami happy, though, and that's all she really cared about.

The old bird had, begrudgingly, allowed them to enter and borrow what they wished so long as Korra explained how she'd managed to create a new spirit portal from what was, apparently, the _wrong_ side. The original two at the poles had been created from the spirit world long before the existence of the Avatar, but the one she'd made, in the heart of Republic City, was something distinctly different. They had talked and argued for hours, getting nowhere, while Asami presumably ran around the massive library. Every few minutes she'd hear some sound of surprise, elation or giddiness off in the distance.

Korra supposed it was fitting that she was able to drag the conversation out as long as she did, even if it wasn't her choice. It certainly gave Asami time to gather what she needed.

Which was a little too much, apparently.

"You should listen to the Avatar, human. I have very little patience for those who abuse my generosity," bellowed Wan Shi Tong, his larger-than-life voice echoing throughout the tall and open halls of the library. He puffed out his chest and brought his beak mere inches from Asami's nose. "You have revealed your greed in your search for information, just as every human has before you. Leave now, and I will forgive this unfortunate mistake."

Asami shook her head defiantly and held the stack of books close to her chest. "No, absolutely not. I followed proper procedure for checking them out." She glared at the giant owl spirit. "I filled out your forms, I gave you new information, _lots of new information,_ simply because I believe in sharing knowledge, rather than hoarding it."

"...those are the _old_ rules, but I will humor you. When did you give me new information? I do not recall this."

“I---” Asami blinked. “Oh, I must have forgotten to give that to you.” She cleared her throat and set the pile of books down on the desk. “Korra, could you please hand me my sketchpad and a pen?”

Korra nodded and started fishing through Asami's things. Sweatpants, make up, discarded cups of noodles, a spare change of clothes, a flashlight, a bedroll and her sketchpad. She tossed it to Asami, who caught it and quickly began writing. She tore off a page and handed it to the giant bird before quickly getting back to work.

Wan Shi Tong picked up the paper with his beak and placed it on the information desk. "Amusing, but what makes you think that what you are writing is equal to the knowledge you are holding?"

"The most recent engineering text you have here is from over two hundred years ago.” Asami ripped off another page and continued to write. “I’m jumping your knowledge of aerodynamics, metallurgy and electrical engineering ahead by two full centuries in a matter of minutes.”

"I cannot deny this. Human technology has advanced far beyond what I had previously thought possible. However, you must understand my hesitation in this matter. You may have the Avatar's blessing, which carries far more weight these days, but you yourself are only human. In case you were not informed, my leniency toward humans once nearly destroyed your moon."

Asami frowned. "I know my history."

"Then you should also know that my knowledge of astronomy was also abused for the sake of war. A perfectly peaceful practice of studying the stars transformed into a weapon. Not unlike your recent problem regarding the spirit vines. Over the countless millennia of human existence, this library has been exploited time and time again for the sake of personal gain, no matter how noble the intention."

Asami scowled at the old bird. "Well, in case you hadn't noticed, the world has changed. Both of ours. Humans have changed, too! Spirits and humans are living together in peace, and the only reason that's possible is because I fought for the wilds! They would have been paved over or attacked _constantly_ if I hadn't done something about it." She huffed. "I may not be the most spiritual of people, but I know more than you can _possibly imagine_ about the importance of tolerance and understanding."

"The fact that you are not spiritual makes me question my decision to allow you within this library at all! This is a sanctuary of knowledge for those who seek enlightenment!"

Korra pouted and squeezed herself between the two bickering intellectuals. "Okay, _that's enough._ Asami, how many books do you have?"

"Fourteen."

"How many do you _need?"_

" _Fourteen."_

Korra shot her a sidelong glance. "Asami…"

"Ugh. Ten."

Wan Shi Tong huffed and shook his head. "Absolutely unacceptable. Ten is far too many. I will accept no more than a single book!"

"Eight."

"Two."

"Seven!"

"Three!"

"Six!"

"Five!"

Asami grumbled. "...fine. I can live with five books. Are those terms agreeable, Wan Shi Tong?"

The old bird ruffled his feathers. "I would not call them agreeable, but I will...tolerate them. Do not betray this kindness, human. That goes the same for you, Avatar." He flapped his wings powerfully and flew far into the deeper reaches of the library, his black feathers quickly vanishing from sight.

Korra crossed her arms and followed Asami as she packed her newly acquired books. "I think I just used up my one favor with him. Please tell me it was worth it."

"I wouldn't have put you in that position if it wasn't." Asami smiled and slung her bag over her shoulder. "...especially since I really only _needed_ one book." She giggled and began walking through the massive stone archways of the library, her boots clacking against the floor and echoing throughout the chamber. "Though, to be fair, the other four are for when I’ll inevitably need to cross-reference a few things. You can never do too much research."

Korra stared blankly at Asami and caught up to her. They walked in tandem toward the bright light of the entrance. "So, you just outsmarted Wan Shi Tong."

"I wouldn’t say _outsmarted._ I’m just trying to be thorough."

"Okay, but he’s the the All Knowing Spirit of Knowledge."

"Yes, well, titles like that are often quite exaggerated. No one knows everything."

" _He who knows ten thousand things."_

Asami snorted. "Ten thousand things that may, or may not be, accurate. I’m not convinced that’s supposed to be taken literally."

Korra pinched her brow. "Asami. I don’t think that was a good idea."

Asami turned to her with a wrinkled nose. "...why? I treated him with respect, then he berated me for who I was, so I manipulated him into getting what he _thought_ he wanted."

Korra huffed as they walked through the enormous doors of the library and out to the yellow stone courtyard. Flying spirits twirled off the distance, dancing with the colors and light that permeated every angle of the Spirit World. "But that's what _you_ wanted! You only made him think that he wanted to compromise.”

Asami frowned slightly. "I didn’t make him think anything. He made his own decisions. Besides, he was acting like a jerk, so I don't see what the issue is."

"You're supposed to _respect_ the spirits, Asami."

"Oh, I _did_ respect him. I respected his sanctuary, his rules, and his generosity." She put a hand on her hip. "You told me Wan Shi Tong was important, so I took that on faith, because I trust you. And I still think you're right. He is important, but that doesn't mean he has the right to treat me like I'm somehow inferior to him."

Korra opened her mouth but then closed it. She scratched her head. "Well, that's true, but...it just feels wrong in my gut. I just get the feeling you're not supposed to do that."

Asami sighed. "Okay, well, what should I have done?"

"Accept what ever terms he sets forth. If he says no, you excuse yourself and move on."

Asami stared blankly at her. "...you can't possibly be serious. _You're_ telling me not to fight for what I want.”

"Okay, yeah, I get what you're saying." Korra huffed. "It's not the same with spirits!"

Asami tilted her head and crossed her arms. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why is respect different for spirits than it is for humans?"

"I don’t know. I never really thought about it.”

Asami furrowed her brow. "That's not really an answer."

Korra flipped her hands in the air. "Well, that's the best one I have! I'm sorry, all right, but I can't...I don't really have the words for it. I don't entirely understand it myself, but my gut tells me that it's just not done." She puffed out her cheeks. "Why wasn't this a problem with Iroh? You were instantly humble around him."

"Korra, he treated me with respect. He didn't look down on me. He didn't berate me. He wasn't condescending. Wan Shi Tong did _not_ respect me, so I have no reason to respect him. And overwhelming him with kindness wasn’t going to get us anywhere."

Korra couldn’t argue with that. Maybe Asami was right. Maybe Wan Shi Tong was just being arrogant because he felt that he could. If he had been human, Korra probably would have leapt down his throat for berating her. "I guess you’re right. Maybe that's part of the change that needs to happen, you know? Humans have always respected spirits, mostly, so maybe now it's time for them to respect us." She shrugged. "If we're going to live together, in both worlds, there's going to need to be a level of mutual respect and understanding."

"Exactly."

It was so obvious, now that she thought about it. Of _course_ the spirits needed to be treated with the same standards as humans. They had to stop revering them just as much as they needed to stop discarding them altogether. "Nice job, _noodles,"_ she said, with a crooked grin.

Asami bristled. “No." She closed her eyes and pursed her lips. "I thought I made it perfectly clear that we are _not_ doing that. Even if yours _does_ suit you---"

Korra put both hands on her hips. "Really now?"

Asami blushed for the briefest of moments, but kept her eyes solely on Korra. "Yes. Yes it most certainly does."

Korra's smile softened and pulled her in for a kiss, snickering. "Want I should prove it again---" Korra's stomach growled. She looked down at her stomach with wide eyes.

"As much as I'd like to say yes..." Asami sighed. "We're out of food."

She deflated. "I know."

"We have to go back."

"I know." Korra grabbed Asami's hand and took a small breath. "Okay. Ready?"

"Not really, but I have no idea how long it would take to walk. I’ve seen some giant dragon-bird...things flying around. Can’t we just ride those? Like the one who helped you the first time you were here?"

Korra raised a brow. “They’re spirits, not pets. I can’t exactly just call them on command, and even if I could why would they come? It’s kinda demeaning.”

Asami sighed. “Okay. You’re right.” She squeezed Korra’s hand. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Korra smiled. She focused on the energy radiating from the spirit portal, _her_ spirit portal, and moved the both of them through the everlasting folds and streaking colors of the Spirit World. And just like that, they were in the flowerbed again. White and purple. Hundreds of gnarled trees that oddly resembled the Tree of Time.

The spirit portal was bright with pure yellows and whites emanating from it, coloring the sky in a beautifully fluid pattern. The light washed over them, and Korra found it comforting. Asami, however, stumbled forward and looked like she might vomit.

Asami covered her mouth with her hand. "I will never get used to that."

"From the way you drive, I don't understand how this is any different."

Asami took a small breath and righted herself. "You just moved, by my guess, several thousand miles in two seconds. Those are _not_ the same." She held up a finger. "Give me a moment."

"Take as much as you need.”

Asami blinked and slapped her forehead. "Oh, I _cannot_ believe this happened."

"What? What's wrong?"

Asami groaned. "We came here to take a _break_ from all our crazy and insanely demanding responsibilities, and now we're leaving with _more_ of them!" She rubbed her eyes. "...one conversation with Iroh and your entire outlook on the world changes. Just like that."

"He has a way of doing that." Korra sighed and rubbed the sides of her eyes with her palms. "Trust me, though. It'll be for the best. For both of us." She took Asami's hands in her own and smiled. "We're doing this together, remember? It's not just you against the world, or just me against...both worlds. It's you and me. Instant noodles."

Asami laughed. "That still sounds ridiculous, but you're right." She smiled kindly. "Thank you, for all of this. For helping me remember. For understanding. For knowing what I needed before I knew myself." She squeezed their hands together. "For _this._ "

Korra raised a cocky brow. "Hey, come on. Don't talk like that. This isn't an end of an era, or anything. We're just going home. Nothing too big about that, right?"

"Right." Asami snorted and touched their foreheads together. "I'm not _that_ much of a romantic. Give me a little credit, Korra. This just meant a lot to me, and I want you to know that.”

"Believe me, I know."

Asami tilted her head. "Well, just to be sure, I think I need to make it _extra_ clear. I'll need to show you, though. I don't quite have the words." She leaned closer, brushing her lips against Korra's. "The Spirit World reflects the Avatar's emotions, remember?" she whispered. "And, somehow, if I'm touching you, _my_ emotions are treated the same?"

Korra's heart pounded in her chest and her mouth magically dried up.  "Both of those things are true."

"Then I know just how to show you."

Asami pulled her into a deep passionate kiss, and Korra pulled her in tight, holding them there for...she wasn’t sure how long. Asami’s hands pressed into her back and shoulders, working them both up more and more as everything became so very heated. Korra gasped when Asami pulled back, the both of them flushed and breathing just a bit heavier.  

“Well, what do you know.” Asami chuckled and absently ran her fingers through Korra's hair. "It worked."

Korra raised a brow and looked around them. Her mouth fell open. "Woah. _"_

For as far as she could see, and most likely beyond, the field of purple and white flowers were completely in bloom. They glistened in the light coming from the portal, and calmly swayed from side to side. The once dead trees were now covered in leaves. Life. Everything was silent. No wind. No spirits around. Nothing to disturb them.

It was perfect.

Asami snickered, chortled, chuckled and then finally broke into a hearty laugh. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, this is _beautiful,_ but it's like something out of a trashy romance novel! The two lovers kiss, and _all the flowers bloom_ because the nature spirit gave them her blessing. And then everything was perfect forever." She wiped away a few tears from her eyes, and took a deep breath, looking up at her with overly-wide eyes. “I want to keep you _all to myself_ \----ppbbbbthh.” Asami’s composure broke again, sending her into another laughing fit. "Can you imagine? I almost want to slap myself.”

Korra couldn’t help but laugh, too. “That’s...really weird. That sounds so weird.”

“I know, I know. Ridiculous.” Her laughter tapered off and she took a deep breath, smiling. “So, yes. This, the flowers, is more or less how much this meant to me. And you, of course."

Korra chuckled for a few more seconds before settling back on Asami. “I…” She chewed on her lip and slid her arms down to Asami’s waist. “I don’t think I have the words, either.” Korra crushed her lips against Asami's, dragging her into a fierce, but brief kiss. “But I don’t think I need any.”  She unbuttoned Asami's jacket, pulling it apart and making her way to unfasten her jodhpurs.  Asami gasped and clawed at her back, pulling at Korra’s top and stumbling backwards. Korra kept them upright, yanking Asami’s pants down and---

"Wait---" gasped Asami.

Korra pulled back. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I'm..." Asami snickered. "Flowerbeds aren't _real_ beds, you know."

"How am I supposed to react? You just kissed me so hard that it actually changed the world around us _!"_

"That...is a fair point." Asami lowered her eyes. "Now, remind me, what were we doing before I so rudely interrupted you?"

Korra kissed her again, sliding her hand down Asami’s panties and curling her finger between her folds. Asami groaned and pushed Korra’s top up as far as she could, but Korra wasn’t about to stop. She slipped another finger inside her and Asami moaned, tensing into her as her knees shuddered. She winced and pulled Korra out of her, only to yank Korra’s pants down below her knees before she could try again.

“Not this time.” Asami lowered herself to her knees, almost tripping over her own pants, and looked up at her. “This is about how _I_ feel about _you._ And I’m not done showing you.” She pulled Korra’s panties aside and smirked.

Korra gasped as Asami pressed her mouth between her thighs, starting off slow and methodical before quickly alternating between sucking on her clit and lapping at her folds just---just _perfectly._ She braced herself on Asami’s hair and her hips rocked forward as Asami wrapped her arms around her legs. Her peak hit her as intensely as it did quickly, forcing her to buckle forward and nearly lose her footing. Asami drew it out and helped her stay upright.

“Fuck.” Korra let go of Asami and collapsed back on her butt in front of Asami, short of breath and just a little sweaty. She looked at Asami, who was wiping off her mouth with her sleeve, and didn’t feel the slightest bit sated.

Asami raised a brow. “You know, I take it back. These flowers are _incredibly_ soft. I wonder if it’s a direct reaction to my comment and emotions. Or, just as likely, it could be tied to arousal if that’s considered an emotion---”      

Korra threw herself at Asami far too forcefully. Asami caught her, lips and all, but she stumbled, the two of them rolling over one another. They fell backward into the spirit portal with a panicked yelp.

 

* * *

 

As the world's first mover star, Bolin enjoyed certain perks. Many of them involved being invited to things. Weddings, parties, galas, pro-bending (which he found hysterical), and every other kind of event were always within his reach. Of course, he couldn't attend _all_ of them. He was only one man! One devilishly _handsome_ man, but one man all the same.

Sometimes, though, there came an event that was so important and noteworthy that he wouldn't miss it for the world. When President Raiko had approached him and asked if he wanted to host a benefit concert to raise funds to expand Republic City, his exact words were:

"Absolutely!"

Followed by:

"...let me just check with Opal first, though."

Bolin inspected himself in the mirror. Finely pressed suit. He grinned. Great teeth. Yes. Very good. He fixed his hair and made _extra_ sure he'd tied his bowtie right. He had not. He frowned and his posture fell apart. "Opal, could you please help me with the bowtie? I swear, it's like they change how they make these things every time…"

Opal chuckled as she walked up beside him. She was wearing an interesting, but still very stunning, combination of her formal clothing from Zaofu and her airbender wingsuit. Her deft hands began _correctly_ tying his bowtie. "I promise you that they don't. Besides, it's cute that I get to help you with little things like this." Oh, Opal. Always so _gorgeous,_ and smart, and better with her hands at basically everything…not like that. Well, yes _also_ like that. One of a kind. "And if it means I get to make you look even _more_ handsome than you already are, then it's sort of a no brainer." She finished her work and patted him on the chest.

Bolin smiled. "How many times have I told you that I love you today?"

"Today, specifically? Only around twenty three times."

He raised both his large eyebrows. "Wow, really? That...okay, seems like a lot."

Opal shrugged. "Not really. It's part of your charm. Essentially."

"Well, then let's make it twenty four!" he said, with gusto. "Opal Beifong, you are the best and I love you."

"Love you too, Bo."

Bolin cracked his neck. "Okay. _Let's do this."_ He marched out of the bathroom and straight into the inner hallways of the air temple. Oh. Right. They still had to...with the bison. Yup. "Opal, honey, I'm gonna grab Mako. Meet you at the stables, okay?"

Opal smiled and waved him off. "Yeah, sounds good. I need a few more minutes anyway. You would not believe where these wingsuits get stuck." She struggled with the form-fitting suit. "I swear it's like Asami _designed_ them like this…"

Bolin shrugged and closed the door behind him. Knowing Asami---well, it was possible. Everyone who wore them did look great in them, so why not? That sounded like Asami, at least.  He walked across the hall toward his brother's room, but before he could get there he came across the face of a _monster._

A ruthless general bent on conquering the world. The most powerful airbender of all time. _Meelo._

"Got all your farts out, little buddy? This is gonna be an open air concert, so if you start going...everybody is going to notice," he said, chuckling.

Meelo pouted up at him. "Who says I don't _want_ them to notice, huh? You can't tell me not to fart! Nobody can!"

Bolin loved Tenzin's kids, but sometimes he needed to use little white lies so they'd stay out of trouble. Mostly. Thankfully, Meelo was weak to one thing, and one thing only. "Korra told me to tell you that you need to hold your farts until after the concert."

"Oh, okay. Shouldn't be a problem. I'm---" He farted. "---totally in control." He jabbed a finger up at Bolin. "You didn't see, hear or smell _anything."_

Bolin smiled and saluted. "Of course not, sir!"

"Good! Carry on, soldier," he said, marching off toward the kitchen. Adorable.

Bolin knocked on his brother's door. "Bro, you ready yet? I kinda don't wanna be late for this. Because I'm hosting it. And because literally everyone we know is gonna be there. Also because it's really nice out tonight."

"Got any more reasons I should know about, or is that all of them?" asked Mako.

"I'm sure I'll think of some later. Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure."

Bolin slid inside and closed the door behind him. "So, Opal and I have been talking, and we were thinking that, you know, Mako really needs to get back in the dating scene. How would _you_ like to have the two best wingmen, uh, wingman and wingwoman, okay actually she's _literally_ a wingwoman so---Hey, your hair is back to normal! That's awesome."

Mako raised a very tightly trimmed brow. "I just want to point out that it took you around four sentences to notice that, but thanks. It feels good to have it back, actually." He fiddled with the cast on his arm. Pesky spirit...nerve damage.

Bolin grinned and sidled up beside him. "Glad to hear it, bro. Because you seriously looked like General Iroh. It was weird for everyone."

Mako sighed. "That was...sort of the point. Grandma _insisted_ that I do my hair like that."

"...well, she does like royalty."

"Yes. She does."

He clapped Mako on the back. "Anyway, about you and _dating._ Whaddya say? C'mon, we'll find you somebody great! There are millions of people in this city, and you know how many of them like _a man in uniform_ ," he said, wiggling his brows and poking Mako with his elbow.

Mako seemed to consider it for a moment. "...oh, sure. Why not? As soon as I get out of this cast, we'll give it a try. What could possibly go wrong?"

Bolin gave him a bemused expression. "Well. Everything now, since you just asked that question. Do you even _watch_ the movers, Mako?"

"What? What do movers have to do with...whatever it is that I said?"

Bolin sighed and hugged his big brother. "It's okay, bro. I'll make sure no crazy lady tries to…"

"...do the things that Eska did?"

"Yes. Yes, exactly those things. Good idea, good point. I actually have a bunch of plans, in case that happens."

Mako wrinkled his nose. "To you or to me?"

"They're transferable. Except for the ones that involve tunnels, 'cause, you know. You can't earthbend."

Mako clenched his jaw. "I feel safer already."

Bolin flailed his arms. "Hey, it's not like I won't be there! I can earthbend the tunnels if it comes to that. Besides, this is all future stuff. We should be focusing on the now. Specifically, how _amazing_ this concert is gonna be!"

Mako nodded. "You know what? You're right. This is going to be a great night for the whole city, and you…" He put his good hand on Bolin's shoulder. "You're going to do great out there. There's a good reason you're a mover star, little bro."

"Thanks, big bro. Alright, c'mon, let's go wrangle up everyone else."

Bolin and Mako left the older brother's room and quickly dodged a gaggle of airbenders flying past them. It was only a moment, but Bolin was able to get a look at Ikki flying by with her wingsuit, carrying a book, with Jinora close behind her. "Woah!"

"IKKI! GIVE IT BACK! THAT IS A PIECE OF PRIVATE PROPERTY!" yelled Jinora.

"It can't be private, 'cause we're Air Nomads! We don't own anything!" replied Ikki.

"Oh, so _now_ you want to follow the old traditions?! When it's convenient for you?"

"Yup!"

Tenzin came rushing toward them, his cape bellowing behind him. "Mako. Bolin." He slowed just long enough to give them both a friendly nod.

"IKKI! JINORA! STOP FLYING THROUGH THE TEMPLE THIS INSTANT OR I'M GOING TO...OR I'LL...I'LL GROUND YOU FROM GOING ON MISSIONS!"

"You can't do that! I'm a master airbender!"

"You're also my daughter!"

"Hello, boys." Pema jogged after Tenzin, carrying Rohan with her. "Don't mind me! Just trying to get everyone back on track!"

"Good luck!" Bolin looked at Mako, and shrugged. "Kids."

Mako laughed. "Yeah, exactly."

The fabulous bending brothers, man Bolin really missed that name, walked out into the courtyard. The night was young and it really was just wonderful out. A cool breeze, a lovely sunset glowing across Yue Bay. The perfect night for an open air concert.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to _that_ thing being so bright all the time," said Mako, pointing toward the spirit portal. Bright yellow and fluctuating between...things? It was calming to look at it.

"That's what you said about living at the Air Temple."

"Yeah, but---"

"And us not being together like, all the time when I went to work with Kuvira."

"Okay, I---"

"And being so casual with Lin."

" _Bolin, I get it._ You're right. It's just a big light in the sky. We've all gotta to deal with it."

Bolin smirked. "Interesting choice of words."

Mako chuckled. "Wow, yeah. Didn't even mean to do that."

"Suuuure you didn't."

Mako rolled his eyes. "Anyway...wait, weren't we supposed to tell more people it's time to leave?"

"Hm? Oh, uh, yeah, but we ran into everybody we needed to on the way, so we're good."

"...we didn't tell them it was time to go."

"Tenzin was all over that."

"Uh, okay. What about Opal?"

"She's waiting for us at the stables."

"Bumi?"

"He’s out by the stables."

“Right---wait.” Mako slapped his forehead. "Then why are we just standing here?"

Bolin put his palm on his chest. "Well, _I_ was enjoying the evening and your company."

"I...but...fine, okay, I see your point." Mako sighed started walking toward the stables. "Come on, Bo. Let's get going."

"Sounds good!"

They started walking over to the stables. Then jogging. Running. Okay, then it turned it a sprint, and all of a sudden they were racing. Mako had longer legs, so he had the advantage. Or so he _thought._

"Give it up, Bolin! You can't win!"

"Really? Then what's this I'm doing?" He swung his arms upward and a pillar of earth propelled him into the sky, straight toward the Juicy's saddle "Opal! Break my fall!" Opal waved her arms in a spiral motion and caught Bolin in a cushion of air, slowing him down so that he landed comfortably by her side. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

Mako ran up to the bison with a very petulant frown. "What was that?! I thought we agreed we couldn't use bending! You realize I can _fly,_ right?"

"I am well aware of your firebending prowess, Mako, but sadly this time we didn't actually specify that we _couldn't_ use bending or not."

"It's an unwritten rule. Every time we race, no bending. For fifteen years."

"...okay, fine. I cheated, I'll admit it. Want a boost up?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Bolin smacked his palms against the saddle and popped Mako up into it with earthbending. "We good to go?" He looked over at Oogi and Tenzin's family. Also Kai. They were all accounted for. "Tenzin! We're good!"

"Okay! Oogi, yip yip!"

"Juicy, yip yip!"

The two bison took off in tandem and quickly rose to a comfortable altitude. Or, at least as comfortable as an earthbender could be while flying. Bolin looked down at the city below. _His_ city. Mako's city. Korra's city. Asami's city. Actually, it was quite literally Asami's city. About 80% of it had the Future Industries logo stamped on it. The outer districts were mostly undamaged by Kuvira's invasion, but downtown...well, it was essentially obliterated. And covered in vines. And had a giant spirit portal, which made it the _perfect_ venue for the concert!

Natural lighting, big open space, and lots of beauty all around. It was an event for everyone who called Republic City home. Humans _and_ Spirits.

"...hey Mako?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm super glad that Narook's didn't get destroyed."

"Me too, bro."

"Also the pro-bending stadium."

"Heh. Yeah, I'm with you there."

Oogi landed first, since Tenzin and his family were going to be in the audience. Juicy went a little further toward the portal, and Bolin could already see the stage was almost ready. It was going to be _awesome._ The bison landed and Bolin hopped off without a second thought. "See you guys after the concert!"

"Good luck!"

Opal blew a kiss at him, and he caught it. Then he stored it in his pocket. That made...four hundred and twenty seven.

The _best._

Bolin trotted over to the control center for the concert, which was really just a broadcast station converted so that it could work outdoors. Laborers hauled big speakers and boxes of instruments onto the stage at a staggering rate. He knew this thing was popular, but _that was a lot of boxes._ Wait, he knew the guy working at the station.

"Shiro Shinobi!"

"Well, if it isn't my favorite underdog!" He got up from his seat to shake Bolin's hand. "How yah been, kid?"

"Great! Great. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm doing just fine. Still living the dream! Commentating on anything and everything. What about you? Haven't seen you in a while, whatcha been up to?"

"Uhhh, well, I went on a worldwide journey to find new airbenders, fought some terrorists, learned how to lavabend. Then I joined Kuvira's army and helped her conquer the Earth Kingdom before I realized she was crazy and evil. And _then_ I defected back to the United Republic, warned them about a super weapon, not the robot, the big spirit cannon, aaaand then I helped blow it up. And now I'm here talking to you!"

Shinobi stared at him with wide, unblinking eyes. "Wow! You live quite a life!"

Bolin grinned. "Thanks, I try to make it worth living, you know? Give it a little spice everyday."

"Sort of seems like you're adding a bit too much, if you ask me."

Bolin raised a brow. "Hey, it's taken me a _long time_ perfect this recipe that we call life, okay? I'd appreciate it if you didn't critique my methods.

"...wait, back up a bit. You said you could _lavabend_?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Only living lavabender. That would be...super illegal in pro-bending, right?"

Shinobi shrugged. "I've no idea. There's nothing in the rule book about it."

Bolin stroked his chin. "Hm. I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, it was great seeing you, Shiro! I'll let you get back to work."

" _NUKTUK!"_

Bolin spun toward the voice and made a big open mouth smile. "VARRICK!" He ran up and gave him a quick hug. "What are you doing here?" He noticed Zhu Li standing next to him. "Oh hey, Zhu Li! What are you _two_ doing here?"

"The concert! Raiko was kind enough to offer me the chance to film this big shindig!" He put his arm around Bolin and pointed toward the portal. "I'm telling you, kid, the mover I make out of this is gonna be seen around the world! I'll make _millions_!"

"...which he will then donate to Republic City in order to help fund its expansion and reconstruction," added Zhu Li with a smile.

"Right. Yes. Charity. Keep forgetting I'm a _philanthropist_ now. Know what those kind of people are, Bolin?'

Bolin blinked. "No, I do not."

"They just give their money away. That's what they do. That's their _entire life._ They're _crazy!"_

Bolin raised his brows. "That doesn't...make any sense."

"I said the same thing, Bolin. Believe me, I tried to fight it, but then I remembered that I helped save this city." He grinned and struck a heroic pose. "And that if _Varrick Industries International_ is going to be on top again, I've gotta start from the bottom and do it _right_ this time!"

"Uh...huh…"

Zhu Li chuckled. "Bolin, trust me. He truly is committed to this new direction. And...I like to think I had a little hand in it."

Varrick smiled and picked up Zhu Li. "Are you kidding?! This was your idea, all along. And you know I'd do _anything_ for you." His face twitched. "Except get a divorce! I will _never get one of those_! Oh, hey, wait, isn't the concert about to start?"

Bolin turned back around toward the control booth. "Hey, Shiro! How much time until the concert starts?!"

"Two minutes! Better get on up there, kid!"

"Okay, I've gotta go. We'll catch up soon, okay?"

"Of course, Bolin."

"You got it, Nuktuk," said Varrick.

Bolin gave him a blank look. "Stop that.”

"No can do!"

Bolin sighed and hopped up to the stage. He walked off toward the side of it and took a look at the turnout. It was _amazing._ There were more people there than at a fully packed pro-bending match! Families, couples, random other people, the vine-covered remains of the mecha giant, and spirits all sitting together on picnic blankets. It was truly a beautiful sight.

"We're on in five…"

Bolin smoothed out his jacket.

"Four…"

He checked his cuffs.

"Three…"

He cracked his neck.

"Two…"

He cracked his knuckles.

"One! We're live!

He snapped his fingers and grinned.

_Showtime._

Bolin stepped out onto the center of the stage with a big smile and picked up the microphone. "Hello, Republic City! How are you all doing tonight?!"

The crowd _roared_ with cheer and applause. It washed over Bolin just as it did all those years ago when he was just a little Fire Ferret. Oh, how things have changed.

"That's great! That's fantastic! I'm glad you're all doing so well. My name is Bolin, of the Future Industries Fire Ferrets, but some of you may know me a little better as _Nuktuk! Hero of the South!"_

More cheers and applause. If Bolin was anything, he was a crowd pleaser. A man of the people.

"But I'm not here today to talk about movers, pro-bending, or civil wars, or terrorists, or really anything negative. I am here today, to talk about our city." He bowed his head. "One month ago, we suffered a great loss, but we were also granted a beautiful gift!" He gestured up toward the spirit portal behind him. "This spirit portal is a testament to just how strong and united our city has become over the years! When I look out in the audience, I see not only the people of every nation, but spirits as well! Howdy, spirits! Nice to see you all out tonight!"

The crowd laughed.

"Seriously, folks. We did it. We survived. We triumphed when no one else could! And we owe it all to---"

" _Now, hold on a moment! Something is coming out of the spirit portal!"_ commented Shiro Shinobi, his distinct voice blasting out of the speakers next to the stage.

Bolin raised a brow and turned around to see that there was indeed something, or rather _someone_ coming out of the...Oh. Oh, there's _just no way._ Two figures fell backward out of the portal and rolled down the small hillside, screaming as they went. They crashed into several instruments and settled directly next to Bolin.

" _No, it's someone! Two someones! They're tumbling down the hillside, folks, screaming the whole way, and oh they've just crashed into some of the instruments! Tahno and the Formers are_ not _going to be happy, but that has gotta hurt!"_

Somewhere, Bolin heard a record skip.

There was Korra, firmly mounted on top of Asami, who were both in a state of... _undress_ . Huh. Mako was right. They were both badly bruised and shaken, and didn't seem to realize what was happening. In fact, they looked pretty out of it. Korra appeared _slightly_ unconscious. Lucky for them, their best friend Bolin was there to bail them out.

They were mumbling something, so he had to act fast.

" _Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is that---"_

"AVATAR KORRA AND ASAMI SATO, ladies and gentlemen! And spirits! Come on, they’re the reason why we're all still kicking tonight!" he yelled, striking as powerful a pose as he could. Not that it would really help if they didn’t _get up_ and start doing...something!

 

* * *

 

Asami groaned as her head throbbed. Everything was blurry, and too loud and...muffled. She opened her eyes to see a very dazed Korra and bright stage lights blasting in her face, which she quickly looked away from. Perhaps she’d gone a little too far with her...demonstration to Korra.

“Ow.” Korra rested her head on her chest. “Sorry. That’s on me. You okay?”

Asami forced her eyes open and adjusted to the blinding light. “Just a little banged up, but I’ll be fine. And you don’t have to---” Her eyes widened as she looked to her left and made eye contact with Bolin. Dressed in a tuxedo and holding a microphone. “Uhm, hi?” She pressed her palm against the floor and realized it was metal. A platform. “Oh no...” she whispered.

“What? What is it---” Korra pulled back on her haunches, saw Bolin, who was gesturing forward, and looked away from the portal. She gaped. “Yeah, it’s worse than you think.” She rolled off of Asami and began frantically pulling her clothes back on.

Asami, far past asking questions, pulled her jodhpurs back up and fastened it before Bolin pulled her up to standing, giving her time to button her jacket in front of... _at least_ a hundred thousand people. And spirits. And mover cameras. All looking at them with their full attention. “I...uh…”

" _Yes! It is folks! For those of you way in the back, or at home, Avatar Korra, and what looks like Future Industries CEO Asami Sato have just fallen out of the spirit portal! They look pretty banged up and in a rather compromising position, in this commentator's opinion."_

Bolin handed Asami the microphone, looking like he might burst out laughing. She immediately handed it to Korra, who looked back at her, stunned. Korra opened her mouth, but Asami snatched the microphone away before she could speak, tossing it back to Bolin. They took off in a frantic sprint, nearly barrelling over the opening band as they moved to reset their instruments. Asami looked over her shoulder as they passed them, raising a brow. Hasook, Tahno, Ming, Shaozu, Lu, Gang, that page who outed Tarrlok and...Wu were all huddled together. It was Varrick’s wedding band. Strange.

“ _Okay, well, I guess that means they enjoyed their vacation!”_ said Bolin, over the dozens of speakers placed throughout the grounds. The audience erupted into laughter. “ _But seriously, folks, let’s give another round of applause to two of our hometown heros, and personal friends of yours truly, Avatar Korra and Asami Sato!”_

Korra and Asami made it past a sound booth, which happened to have Shiro Shinobi in it, and through the applauding crowd until they were outside of...whatever that was. They ducked into an alleyway and Asami rested her hand against the wall, catching her breath.

“ _Anyway, let’s get back to it. You’re all here because you care. You care about your city, because it’s home. It’s my home, it’s your home, it’s_ everyone’s _home, because that’s the kind of place Republic City is. We’ve got every kind of person from every kind of place just running around and making it work! Which, I gotta, say, that’s a pretty amazing thing, right?”_

Asami looked up at the speaker and then down the street, where they were affixed to every few lamp posts. Co-opting the emergency broadcast system wasn’t exactly what she’d call wise, but she couldn’t argue with its effectiveness. “Well, on the bright side…” Asami wiped the sweat from her brow. “I guess we won’t need to tell anyone we’re together.”

“Yeah, because the entire world is gonna know _tomorrow._ ” Korra raked her hands through her hair. “You know, when I said that this would be the only time we’d ever get a chance for a vacation, I didn’t actually think that we’d get thrown back into everything the second we got back.” She sighed. “But, you’re okay with that? Half naked on every mover screen on the planet?”

_“...we’re probably the most resilient city in the history of, well, history! Three huge attacks in four years? That’s got to be some kind of record, right? But we’re all still here, out tonight, supporting one another because that’s how we do things…”_

“I’ve had worse press, and so have you. It’s not like we could have kept anything private for very long anyway. Not that we would.” Asami rolled out her shoulders, wincing at the bruises. “My guess is that it’ll humanize the both of us, but mostly you. Honestly, it might even be _positive_ press. My old publicist would be _thrilled_ , I’ll tell you that.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Korra scratched the back of her head. “Should make the portal easier to adjust to, if anything. And we weren’t, uh, ‘bad naked’. So that’s something.” She bit her lip. “How are you so calm about this?”

Asami smiled. “Because I have nothing to hide.”

_“That’s what we did when we scrambled like crazy people to create a totally new form of government after the Equalists attacked! How long did that take? Six months? Unalaq throws spirit vines everywhere, and we rebuilt our entire city, from the ground up, in three years! We’re kind of the best at this whole ‘rebuilding’ thing...”_

Korra snorted. “I guess some nosy journalist or photographer would’ve snapped a picture of us like that sooner or later…”

Asami raised a brow. “Maybe. Maybe not. But, on that note…” She kissed Korra. “I think we should stop thinking about the press and go back to enjoying our last evening free of responsibility. Hm?”

Korra smiled. “I like that idea. Hungry?”

Asami’s stomach growled. “Now that you mention it…”

 

* * *

 

“ _...can any other city say that they’re best friends with the spirits? I didn’t think so! Because this is the dream, wasn’t it? We’ve all read about what Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang wanted for this place. And you know, I think we might be starting to actually live it!”_

Asami stared down at her bowl of noodles. Meat, vegetables, some broth. Fancy other things. A glass of wine beside it. “I cannot believe that _Kuang’s_ was the only thing open within reasonable walking distance.”

“I can’t believe they let us in looking like this.” Korra slurped up her food and looked up at her from across the table. The ornate restaurant was almost entirely empty, and even then the rest of the patrons and staff were entirely too captivated by Bolin’s continued speech on the radio to pay attention to them. “But I guess you’re a regular, so that must mean something.”

“Hardly,” she said, twisting her chopsticks around in her bowl. “This is more where I take potential clients. Distributors, and the like. Courting them; it’s a process. A ridiculous one, but necessary.” She popped one of the lumps of meat into her mouth, covering her mouth with her hand as she chewed. “What other formal clothes do you have aside from what I’ve seen, though? Any jackets, something like that?”

Korra swallowed and shook her head. “Nah. Stockings tear too easily, and they’re not exactly manageable back home with the materials you need to make ‘em. Dresses are easy, since at most you’ve only got two pieces of clothing to deal with.”

_“With all of this expanding, rebuilding, and revitalizing everything, I think that dream, one of a better world, that can be a real thing! A world where benders, and non-benders aren’t considered two kinds of people. Where it doesn’t matter where you’re from, because as long as your heart is in the right place, as long as you’re a good person, hey, we love you and want you here!”_

Asami raised a brow. “Easy how?”

“To make.”

“You _made_ that?”

“Yeah.” Korra shrugged. “I make all my clothes. It’s what you do back home; Water Tribe thing. Unless you’re Varrick, who I think has his own clothing line.”

“He does; they’re not terrible. But, no, wait, all of your clothes? All of them? Everyone does this?”

“Unless they’re too old or too young, yeah.” She smiled. “Why do you think everything is some shade of blue, and pretty much the same?”

“Practicality, honestly.”

_“Who doesn’t want to live in this world? Go on, raise your hand, everybody in the crowd how doesn’t want to live in that world. Oh, well---look at that! Not a single person or spirit is raising their hand! See, isn’t that just amazing?”_

“Oh sure, that’s part of it.” Korra slurped up more of her noodles. “But it’s about pulling your weight, you know? Gotta do your part, or you’re not helping the tribe. Of course, there isn’t exactly a huge demand for sleeveless tops in the Water Tribes, so I wasn’t exactly so great at keeping with that tradition…”

Asami widened her eyes. “Does it matter? Your fashion sense is---it’s impeccable! And you did it entirely on your own. That’s amazing.”

“Heh, thanks. Also made Naga’s saddle, but, c’mon, none of this--- _you’re_ the one who makes stuff. And fixes stuff.” She gestured around the restaurant, and the vines running along the walls. “Most of the time because I broke it, now that I think about it.”

_“This doesn’t have to be a dream anymore! I mean, look at me. Dad was from Ba Sing Se, mom was from the Fire Nation; hundred years ago? Totally crazy, right? But now, that’s---it’s a lot! I called the census people and they couldn’t legally tell me specifics, but that’s what they said: a lot.”_

“Just because you changed something doesn’t mean you broke it.” Asami took another bite. “Dad---” She looked into her bowl. “Dad taught me that.”

Korra stopped eating. “Yeah?”

Asami nodded, still staring at her food. “When I was twelve, I got it into my head that I could make one of his roadsters faster. Took apart the engine, the transmission, the whole thing. And then I tried to put it back together again, but I couldn’t manage to reassemble the actual metal panelling. It still _worked,_ but it didn’t have skin.” She licked the inside of her lips. “I was so angry at myself, for ruining it and for failing. But then he took me aside, and told me to turn it on. I did, we ran some tests, and it went faster anyway. Because it was lighter, and the frame itself still reduced drag, just not as much.” She took a deep breath. “So it’s not so much that ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’, but rather ‘if you can’t make it better, don’t break it’...”

Korra nodded after a few moments. “It’s a good mantra.”

“It’s not a mantra, Korra. Mantras need to actually _mean_ something. This is just…” Asami swallowed. “It’s something to keep in mind.”

“I think it means more than you think.”

_“We can make Republic City the shining beacon of peace and balance for both worlds! We can be the city that sets the example; we can be the cool trendsetters! We can become more than what we already are, and we all know it. We’ve proven it, over and over again, that there’s nothing in this world, or the next, that can keep us down. Because we are Republic City! We don’t know how to stop and we can do anything we set our minds to!”_

Asami gulped down some of her wine. “Maybe.”

_“Thank you all so much for making it out here, I’ve been Bolin---and still am, so sit back, relax and enjoy the show! Oh, right, and uh, sponsored in part by Cabbage Corp! Republic City’s trusted name in technology for over fifty years, apparently? Anyway, first up, Tahno and the Formers!”_

 

* * *

 

Bolin made his way back through the crowd, shaking hands with people he’d never met and giving a very ecstatic Varrick a wave as he approached the sky bisons. Opal pulled him back up on to Juicy and kissed him. “Oh, I was _that_ charming?”

Opal rolled her eyes. “Yes, Bolin. You were.”

“Just making sure.” He drummed his palms on the saddle. “So…” He cleared his throat and patted Mako on the back. “How ya doin, bro? Feeling woozy? Squeamish? Got a case of the no-good-niks? Because I’ve had those and they are just _awful_.”

Mako gave him a look of confusion. “What? No, my stomach is fine. We ate the same dinner, so why would it be any different?”

“Yeah, not what I was, uh, talking about. You mighta missed it since you were so far back, but Korra and Asami literally rolled out of the portal half-naked.”

“I know, Bolin. I saw that.”

“It was a little hard to miss,” said Jinora.

“I’m just glad they’re alright,” said Tenzin. “That long in the spirit world cannot possibly be safe.”

Bolin nodded. “Okay.” He looked around to the rest of them. “Is nobody gonna comment? Are we just gonna sweep this under the rug, because if we are I’m fine with that, kinda weirded out by that choice of strategy but I’m down for it. I’m cool.” He nodded several times. “We’re all cool.”

Opal rested her hand on his shoulder. “Uh, Bo, honey, everyone already knew. I’m sorry, I kinda thought you did too.”

“What? How would I have guessed that?! They just go on vacation---” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, see, now that I say it out loud, totally obvious. Well that’s my bad.” He turned to look at Mako. “Just so we’re clear, though, the reason nobody is laughing at how hilarious all that was is because you already laughed, and that we’re _never_ gonna let them live that down? Making sure I’m reading the energy.”

Opal, Mako, Jinora, Kai, Pema and Ikki all started to laugh. Tenzin looked confused, but went back to watching the show.

Mako, still mostly laughing, wrapped an arm around Bolin’s shoulders. “Bro. _Never._ ”

“Never ever?”

“Never ever.”

Bolin held up a finger to his lips. “...never ever _ever_?”

Mako gave him a blank look. “Bo.”

“Sorry.”

 

* * *

 

Asami kicked open the panelling of her speedboat and went to work hotwiring it. She’d made a habit of docking one on the south side of the city, as the ferry to Air Temple Island was often too slow for her tastes. “This might take me a few minutes,” she said, snickering. “Made this _much_ more difficult to steal.”

Korra leaned against the dashboard. “Take all the time you need.”

“Once took one of these out for fun without my dad knowing; must’ve been ten or eleven. Nearly smashed the bow right into pier by the stadium.” Asami sighed. “All I wanted to do was see how far I could push the engine into the red and still maintain control of the boat, but next thing you know---” She moved to start connecting wires before stopping herself. “I need gloves.”

“I don’t, uh---do you want my sleeves instead?”

“No, no, I don’t need insulation.” Asami shook her head. “I need a jumpstart. I rigged the electrical system so I couldn’t do what I’m trying to do.” She gestured at the glove box. “Should be a pair in the glove box.”

Korra nodded and opened it, picking up one of shock gloves she’d stashed in there with a raised brow. “You keep these in your _glove box_?”

“Of course I do.” Asami took it from her hand and slipped it on. “They’re gloves,” she said, dialing back the voltage.

“Right. Are you _sure_ you’re okay to drive?”

“I’m fine, it was just a drink or two at dinner. My spirits are really quite lifted.” Asami rewired the starter and grasped at the clump of cables, giving it a brief shock. The headlights flickered on and the engine roared to life. She smiled at Korra. “And isn’t that what matters, in the end?”

Korra smiled back rested her hands on the windshield. “Yeah.”

“Besides…” Asami untied the boat from the dock and checked the instruments. “I wouldn’t be doing anything that I thought would put _you_ in danger, Korra.”

“I…” Korra turned and gave her a look. “I know you wouldn’t but---”

Asami pushed the speedboat into the red, zipping away from the dock and towards Air Temple Island. “Though I suppose it’s not just you I have to worry about in there. I should take consideration for Raava, too.”

Korra snorted. “Well, yeah, and she’s a little surprised you even thought about that. You’re the first in...a little under ten thousand years to actually care.”

Asami looked at her for a moment. “Of course I care. She’s...light, right? The source of all light. We need that. We _always_ need that.”

Korra shrugged. “People forgot about her, Asami. Forgot about Vaatu, the lion turtles; that whole story. But she remembers what she saw, through the centuries. Not all of it but...enough.”

“Sounds like an historian’s dream. I’d love to pick her brain on early human civilization. It’s possible that there were eras of history predating the lion turtles.” Asami blinked. “Do spirits have genders? You keep referring to Raava as her, and I think I remember you mentioning Vaatu as a ‘he’, but---they don’t have any sort of consistent anatomy or social structure as far as I can tell. Or government, for that matter. How does this work?”

Korra ran a hand through her hair. “Uh, Raava says it depends on the spirit? Some do, some don’t. Nobody really thinks about it too much. Apparently, after ten thousand years of bonding to humans, Raava just sorta felt more comfortable with being a woman. Vaatu sounded like a man, so I guess that makes sense.”

“What does Raava sound like?”

“A...very confident and nurturing woman. Who is sometimes cranky.”

Asami gave her a sidelong glance. “So you’re saying she sounds like you.”

“No, I’m---we do _not_ sound alike! You sound like you’re some sort of fair and just monarch and I’m just me. Yes, I know we don’t.” Korra glared down at her stomach. “Maybe because your sense of humor is really hard to pick up on? You’re so dry!”

Asami laughed. “Are you actually _arguing_ with her?”

“It happens.” Korra sighed. “She got more talkative after I opened the portal, and sometimes it’s just a lot harder talking to her in my own head. If I don’t hear it out loud, I feel like what I’m trying to say won’t get across, you know?”

“Mhmm.” Asami started to slow the speedboat. “Has she ever wanted to speak out loud? Through your voice?”

“Sometimes. And I could just meditate ‘out’ and she’d slip in and take over for a bit but---” Korra wrinkled her nose. “Of course that would work! Why wouldn’t it? I wouldn’t be using my body, and you’re a spirit. Are you seriously telling me that nobody else thought of that?” Korra smacked her forehead. “Nobody could hear her. Too many past lives talking over her.”

Asami brought the speedboat to a stop, rummaged through her pack for the key and cut the engine--- “It was in my _rucksack._ I knew I didn’t lose it!” She snorted. “Since, we took the boat on our way to the portal, so…” She slipped off her glove and tossed it back into the glove compartment. “Amazing the things we can forget.”

“Asami.” Korra hopped off the boat and stretched her back, laughing. “Did you even _check_ your bag?”

“No.” Asami snickered. “No, I did not.” She started tying off the boat.

“You are just…” Korra turned to her, smiling ear to ear and holding back more laughter. “I love you.”

Asami looked up at her, finishing the knot, with an incredulous look. “My absentmindedness?” She walked onto the pier and closed the distance between them. “You really find that endearing?”

“Yeah, I do, but I was more talking about you.”

Asami felt her eyes tear up and pulled Korra in for a long, soft kiss. She wiped off her cheeks. “I...had a feeling.”

Korra smirked. “Just the one?”

Asami chuckled and slid her hands up and down Korra’s arms. “Well, maybe a few more than one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **REVISION 2/1/2018:** I've actually had this one done for a while, but I wanted to have the whole story revised before posting any more of it. But, the more I re-read the original Chapter 3, the more irked I became, so I slightly altered it so that it would fit the "old version" as it were. It was like, a tiny change. But either way, I'm extremely proud of how this one turned out. It was almost completely rewritten, as you can see if you've read the original, and the end result is a lot more emotionally impactful, in my opinion. 
> 
> Ironically, the "I love you" moment that I mentioned in the last revision notes---that originally "happened" in Chapter 17, but as I was rewriting this, and discussing it with ficsandmusings, it didn't make any sense for this not to happen here. The struggle isn't about their relationship, it's about everything around that. Not to say that their relationship is perfect, as we see very clearly later on that it is not, but more that it's important to establish just how deep in these two are. And it's about as deep as someone can get. The moment in Ch17 (one of the many chapters that doesn't actually need that much tweaking at all) will remain the same, so those who liked that bit won't be at a loss. It works as both a "first time" (or, well, it did, before this) and as something that just happens organically. Ultimately, the changes in this chapters were...so much fun. I mean, switching everything to Asami's POV was obviously the right choice (almost everything is more interesting to write if it's her POV) and the sprinkling of her father being consistent throughout just---I can't stress just how much fun this one was to rewrite. It was a blast to write in the first place, so it surprised me. I might make a few changes here and there as more revisions are completed, but I'm happy with this. Happy with what it sets up, if you know what's coming. And, y'know, it's like...it's just really sweet but also kind of devastating? 
> 
> That was a balance I really tried to strike. Asami's state of mind is extremely jumbled, even more than the previous chapters, though on the surface you'd never know it. No matter how many happy things happen to her she just can't let herself enjoy them for more than a few seconds. It's just who she is, and if I keep writing I'll gush forever about Asami. Anyway, next chapter has some of the biggest changes, but depending on when you're reading this...there are two entire scenes that I cut to keep it consistent with the "old canon" before the rest is done. Why? Because I think what I did was hysterical. Oh, and Korra's speech in this chapter: that was always weird. I was still riding the "finale" high, so, y'know, it happens. Heh.
> 
>  **Original Notes:** BOLIN IS THE MAN! I knew I wanted Korra and Asami to fall out of the portal, in a very compromising position, and straight into a benefit concert, but I didn't know how to really go about it, or actually make it a surprise. Then I remembered that Bolin would totally MC something like that, and the rest is history. I hope the Bolin section distracted you enough to forget what happened to Korra and Asami. That's also the reason why I left the venue for the concert a mystery until the last minute. Let me know if that worked! I stole Tahno's band name from somewhere on reddit. I can't remember where, but if you're that person and you're reading this, PM me and I'll give you credit. It's because every member of the band is a former something. Wolfbats, Fire Ferret, Council Paige, Detectives, Prince. I added Wu because the joke was just too perfect. He literally is the artist formerly known as Prince Wu. It was either that or the "T-Tones". Korra's speech is...I did not expect that to go on as long as it did. I also didn't expect it to lead to Asami actually getting some much deserved recognition from the city. It just felt so...fitting. They literally fall right back into their roles, stronger and better than ever. Just as planned. That section was, at one point, just one big block of Korra talking and interacting with the audience. However, I remembered that I had done something sorta similar in an earlier story of mine involving a radio speech, and decided to use the same tactic there as I did here. Cutting to a different perspective every few ideas/lines of the speech.
> 
> If you can find the Gurren Lagann reference in this chapter, you get all the internet cookies.
> 
> As always, feedback is very much appreciated. No matter how small, strange, random or scathing your thoughts are, I'd love to hear 'em! :)
> 
> For other words, ramblings, extra stuff, Asami Sato and/or Kate Kane fangirling and other assorted fun things you can follow me on tumblr at [progmanx.tumblr.com!](progmanx.tumblr.com)


	4. Now With 40% More Filling!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, everything went better than Asami could have hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **REVISION 2/1/2018:** : This one has been done for a while, too. But there are two scenes that, for the moment, needed to be cut in order for the rest of the story to still make sense. Also it's like TWICE AS LONG!!!!! WOO!
> 
>  **ORIGINAL NOTES** :This chapter is meant to serve as a 'bridge' between the 'vacation fluff' (which wasn't really fluff, and you'll see why later) and the ACTUAL larger plot that this story was originally going to be about before I connected all the dots. There's going to be a tonal shift, but hopefully it's relatively seamless. 
> 
> EDIT: Added another scene to make the transition from 'vacation' to 'life' more fluid and organic.

_ One Month, One Day after Kuvira's Invasion _

_ Mid Autumn, 174 A.G. _

Asami awoke to the sound of boots stomping on the stone pathway outside of Korra’s room. She carefully rolled onto her side, smiling as she saw Korra snoring beside her. She kissed Korra on the forehead, who just grumbled, and slid out of her arms. She tiptoed over to the window and rubbed her eyes. The boots passed by the window, and she waited a few more seconds before opening it and peaking outside.

Two White Lotus sentries were walking along the path, which meant they’d slept all the way to first patrol. Not too bad, all things considered. Still a few hours later than what would be ideal, but she’d readjust rather quickly. 

"...you tossed out all of our dumplings?!  __ Lee, what's wrong with you?!" said a rather perturbed White Lotus sentry.

"Master Tenzin was just just going to take them away anyway once he got back, and I wanted some peace and quiet," retorted the one known as Lee. “He just never stops lecturing about meat!” 

"You know,  _ this  _ is why people say the White Lotus has fallen so far, Lee. It's things like this. Exactly likes this! _ " _

"Oh, because I value a proper sleep cycle?! The man is exhausting!"

"That's---not---ugh! Just stop talking! Stop talking, and don't do anything stupid for the rest of the day."

"You're just cranky because you didn't get enough sleep. Unlike me," said Lee.

"I hate you  _ so much." _

Asami raised a brow. She didn’t remember the White Lotus having so much infighting or speaking so casually when she lived on Air Temple Island. Then again, the aftermath of an invasion was a stressful time for everyone, so it made sense that things would be tense. Even between...well, whatever the White Lotus had become. Loud, unprofessional; what kind of sentry alerts everyone to their presence? 

When she was still in school, Asami’s history books had described the White Lotus as a society of scholars who wanted a greater understanding of the world, and for whom national background and bending status was irrelevant. They even played a pivotal role in ending the Hundred Year War. She had grown up thinking they were legends. Heroes, even. Role models. Meeting Iroh was more of a dream come true than she'd ever be willing to admit.

In the present, they were people, just like everyone else. Sworn to a greater duty, that was true, but they weren't all sages or gurus or masters of anything in particular. But then, if every single one of them was a legendary hero, Korra wouldn't have much of a job. Not that...Asami really knew what Korra’s role actually  _ was  _ at the moment. 

She looked down at Korra, who was starting to stir, and furrowed her brow. Whatever she chose to do, well, it would be for the best. That she was sure of. Asami looked back out the window at out at the city proper. In the light of day, she could see that the skyline had undergone some significant repairs in their absence, which was extremely relieving. 

“Morning.” Korra sidled up beside her and kissed her on the cheek. “Whatcha looking at? Portal or the city?”

“The city. Sometimes I worry nothing would ever get done if I didn’t start the work first, but…” She gestured to the skyline. “The work’s already started. I knew Bolin had a point, with that speech, but I---” Asami sighed. “You didn’t see the logistical and political nightmare it was rebuilding Republic City the  _ first  _ time. If anything, before we left, I thought there’d be  _ more  _ resistance; Raiko fired the city planner and refused to compromise, but I guess he folded while we were gone.” She shrugged. “I knew, sure, we’d put it all back together again, and everything would be fine in the end but getting there…” She pinched her brow. “I’m getting a headache just thinking about it.”

“I got a pretty good idea of it from the letters, Asami. You weren’t exactly  _ brief _ .” 

Asami smiled. “No, I wasn’t, was I?” She blinked. “They probably still can’t move the mecha-giant; contract with Future Industries or not they’d have  _ tried _ to do it without me. That’s going to be a challenge. The vines can be coaxed into moving---I must have mentioned the effect Bolin’s lavabending has on the vines---but not too much and not for very long. It needs to be…” She furrowed her brow. “You’d need to airlift it, but the vertical thrust necessary to move something that large and that heavy  _ that  _ quickly would necessitate…” She huffed. “I’m not sure yet.”

Korra yawned and stretched her arms. “Yeah, but you probably will be after breakfast.” She took Asami’s hand and lead her to the door. “No sense thinking through impossible problems on an empty stomach. Or doing anything, really. It’s just not a great idea.”

Asami raised a brow. “I  _ eat, _ Korra.”

“Everybody does, sooner or later.” She pressed her hand on the sliding door. “Be honest, were you going to have breakfast if I hadn’t suggested it?”

Asami folded her arms. “I hadn’t...considered it. I might have. There’s a lot of work to do, and I need to get back to it as soon as possible. There’s no telling what’s going on with the evacuees, or if there are any refugees that need...food...” She ran a hand through her hair and felt her stomach grumble. “I---I could use some breakfast.”

“Yeah, you do...” Korra smirked. “... _ noodles. _ ”

Asami pouted. “No.”

“Really? It bothers you that much?”

“It’s childish, asinine---reducing me to a  _ metaphor about a cultural revolution.  _ It sounds…” Asami took a deep breath. “It sounds like something is missing. As if it’s half of an idea.”

Korra kissed her. “Maybe you’ll have the other half.” She slid open the door and walked into the hall. “But, even if you eventually do, it won’t be until after breakfast.”

Asami opened her mouth to respond when Mako’s door opened from across the hall. “Oh. Good morning, Mako.”

“Morning.” Mako stared at them for a moment. “Good vacation?”

“Great. Great vacation,” said Korra, forcing a smile. “The best.”

Mako started snickering. “Yeah, it, uh, sure seemed like it.”

The door directly parallel to theirs slid open, revealing Bolin and Opal, covering their mouths and nearly bursting.

“We…” Asami pinched her brow. “Can we please just move past this and---”

“Nope!” Opal broke first, doubling over in a fully belly laugh followed by Bolin and finally Mako. “You just ran away!” she said, clearly struggling to breathe. “Neither of you even tried to save face!”

Bolin tried speaking once, twice, and finally managed on the third time. “You were supposed to give a speech! Why do you think I gave you the microphone?!” he said, struggling to breathe. “Oh, it’s just---it’s amazing, you guys. You two are just perfect.” 

Korra rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, everybody get it out of your systems. Have a good laugh at the couple who got just a tiny bit carried away.” 

“Carried away? No, Korra, making out on the train is ‘carried away’...” Mako snorted and joined his brother. “Do you realize I would have had to write you both up for  _ public exposure  _ if things had gotten maybe twenty seconds further?”

Asami sighed. “Yes. We do. But, better you than someone who didn’t  _ already  _ know what he was looking at, I suppose.”

Bolin chuckled as the laughter died down. “Now that, that is a court date---I mean  _ that’s,  _ well it is a mover.”

“Varrick said that he’s selling it  _ as a newsreel  _ to every mover theater he can find,” snickered Opal. “Exclusive rights to the footage; you basically just rebuilt his entire fortune!”

“What?! He can’t do that!” said Korra, eyes widening. “Can he?”

“He can. It was a public venue.” Asami frowned and made fists. “If he doesn’t give us residuals I  _ swear  _ I’m going to wring his stupid little neck…” She took a deep breath. “Okay. Are we all done laughing at our expense? Is there anything else any of you wanted to say before things can go back to normal?”

Bolin picked them both up in a tight hug. “We missed you guys! So much stuff happened!” Opal and Mako joined in, as best they could. “Welcome home,” said Bolin. 

“So when you say stuff…” Korra rubbed the back of her neck as Bolin let them down. “What kind of stuff do you mean, exactly? Good stuff? Bad stuff? Weird stuff?”

Opal started to walk down the hall, towards the dining room. “Stuff we can discuss over breakfast. I laughed so hard my stomach is growling.”

Korra gave Asami a look. “See?”

Asami sighed. “Yes. You made your point.”

* * *

 

“...calls into question the priorities of both Future Industries CEO Asami Sato and Avatar Korra, as they seem far more focused on engaging with one another than their own independent obligations…” Asami read aloud, her frown growing deeper the more she read of the newspaper article. “It goes on like that for a page or two,” she said, taking a bite of tsampa. The porridge all but mass produced by the acolytes was apparently made from ground barley flour, but it had always tasted like...glue. It was, however, quite filling. And that was enough. “All in all, it could be a lot worse.”

“Jerks.” Korra took the paper away, folded it, and slid it back over to Mako. “What do they know? I don’t even know what my independent obligations  _ are _ , so I can’t really not do what I don’t know I’m not doing!” She huffed and slurped down another bowl of porridge. “Besides protecting the Air Nation. But I’m  _ doing  _ that.”

“Your priorities are perfectly in order, Korra,” said Tenzin. “Even an Avatar needs to take some time for themselves now and then. My father struggled with balancing his duty to the world and those of a father since the moment Bumi was born.” He wrinkled his nose. “Though why the press seems insistent on splitting their focus between you and Asami is beyond me.” 

Bolin gave Tenzin a confused look, his face still inside of his bowl. He mumbled something into the food before swallowing and placing it on the table. “Makes sense to me. I mean, it’s not the  _ nicest  _ thing to do, but when have journalists ever been the nicest people? Besides wouldn’t…” He looked between Korra, Asami, Mako and Opal. “Wouldn’t people be super interested in this? It’s big news!”

Opal snickered. “Yeah, even if they  _ hadn’t  _ rolled right into the spotlight, it’d still be on them.”

Tenzin raised a brow. “How exactly is a friendly vacation ‘big news’? The Earth Kingdom is once again in shambles, and the city is still reeling from an invasion.  _ They  _ are the ones who need to get their priorities straight.” 

Mako flipped up the newspaper and took a closer look at the front page photo, which Asami was already  _ quite  _ aware of. “I don’t know, Tenzin. This is the kind of picture that’ll lead to second or even third printings. Which isn’t a good thing, but it’s...” He shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“I’d rather it wasn’t what it is, but no amount of money will make those photos vanish,” grumbled Asami.

“Or the mover footage,” added Opal.  “Don’t forget the mover footage.”

Korra gave Opal a look. “We get it.”

Tenzin shook his head. “I just don’t understand the  _ interest  _ in this sort of thing.” He gestured across the table to Korra and Asami. “The two of you were clearly running from some angered spirit or some other danger in the Spirit World, and the media is up in arms about every aspect of it!”

“Dad, people like reading about other people in love,” said Ikki. She leaned over the table and smiled wide at Korra and Asami. “You two  _ are  _ in love, aren’t you?”

Pema pulled Ikki back before either of them could response. “Ikki! That’s a very rude question to ask so early in a relationship! Say you’re sorry.” 

Ikki lowered her head. “Sorry.”

Korra held out her palm. “It’s okay---”

“But, you know, since she  _ did  _ ask…” Pema looked back towards Korra and Asami. “I have a few thoughts on avoiding potential pitfalls of a relationship moving that quickly and intensely.” She said, clapping her hands together. “Just some wisdom I’ve gathered over the years, if you girls are interested.”

Asami bit her lip. “That won’t be necessary. Thank you, though, for the concern.”

“Yeah, uh, not to be mean, Pema,” said Korra. “But the last time I listened to relationship advice from you I tried to steal Mako from Asami, and we all know how well  _ that  _ went.”

Pema nodded. “Yes. It worked.”

Mako cleared his throat. “That’s...not really how I’d put it.”

“Nobody would,” said Bolin, his mouth full of food.

“This is ridiculous,” said Asami. “Can we please move on to something else?”

“Thank you, Asami,” said Tenzin. “All of this nonsense about old romances has nothing to do with the problem at hand. The media’s inability to focus on the issues---”

Jinora slammed her bowl down on the table with a loud groan. “They were having sex!” she yelled. “Dad, they were  _ having sex _ ! How are you so oblivious that you can’t see this?!”

Tenzin sputtered and his eyes went wide. “W-what?!” He looked between Korra and Asami. “I---yes. Yes, of course. That makes...much more sense than the alternative.” He stroked his beard and stared at the ceiling. “It’s all coming together now. I see it very clearly---”

Bolin drummed his hands on the table. “Hey! So, who wants to hear what happened in the last month? Eh? Korra? Asami? It’s filled with action, suspense, drama and politics!”

Asami smiled, pushing Tenzin’s...lack of observation out of her mind as best she could. “I’d love to, Bolin---” Otaku collapsed next to her, slamming a massive pile of papers on to the table. Asami’s eyes widened. “What...is this?”

Otaku got to his feet, wheezing and sweaty. “It’s...all the Future Industries stuff from when you were gone. Your COO must have sent us three packages a day of these things…” 

“Is nobody capable of doing anything on their own?!” groaned Korra.

Asami pinched her brow. “Of course he did. Thank you, Otaku.”

“Aaaaaanny time, Asami…” he said, slurring his words and stumbling out of the room.

Bolin looked around the table. “So, should I wait for you to get through that or…”

“No, go ahead,” said Asami, sifting her way through the papers. Contract updates, sales figures, reconstruction information, workplace complaints, workmen's compensation spreadsheets from the invasion; everything that could possibly be there was there. “I’m listening.”

“Right, okay, so first, a few days after you left, Raiko got the police really angry since he offered amnesty to anyone with a criminal record that didn’t include felonies who helped with reconstruction efforts. Triads, former equalists---oh and he let a  _ ton  _ of Earth Kingdom contractors in to help! Everybody’s pitching in!” He spread out his arms. “Next thing you know, we’ve got one city block up and fixed! Running water, electricity...the works! And then another block, and another, and it’s just been going that way ever since.”

Asami nodded and continued looking through her papers. A certain two pairings of words kept catching her eye: Cabbage Corp and Lei Gan-Lan. She flared her nostrils as she read through the stack, working her way through it as best she could. 

“Anyway, the death ray did  _ a lot  _ of deep underground damage, so that’s still kind of an issue, but I have no idea how anyone is supposed to fix it. There’s an entire cave and tunnel system down there now!” He scratched his chin and then snapped his fingers, his eyes lighting up. “Oh right! Yeah, we’ve got a ton of evacuees, refugees and Earth Empire deserters camped outside the city limits, you know to the east. Kind of a problem, could get worse, could get better. No idea how that’s gonna go.”

Mako nodded. “We think there are around a hundred thousand, uh, non-citizens over there. And about sixty-thousand citizens, but that number just keeps dropping as the residential areas are repaired---”

“By  _ Cabbage Corp _ ,” growled Asami, stabbing her finger at a memo describing how Cabbage Corp had indeed managed to acquire majority responsibility to repairing Republic City’s infrastructure. “Those idiots are going to get people killed.”

Bolin shrugged. “They’re not  _ that  _ bad---”

“Yes. They are. In fact, they are worse than that. Far worse,” she seethed, standing up from the table and stomping back to the bedroom. Korra grabbed her arm before she could get very far. “I need to go fix this, Korra.”

“You really want to start your first day back like this?”

She turned to Korra and slowly stopped scowling. “No. But if I don’t, people  _ will  _ get hurt.”

Korra nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably true. Just, take a minute, okay? Take a  _ breath _ . I know you want to jump back in, but it’s already a lot all at once.” She let go of her arm. “You look like you’re ready to bite someone’s head off.”

“I...” Asami unclenched her fists, which she hadn’t realized she’d been making and took a deep breath, slowing her pounding heart. “I’m...fine. I’m fine.”

“You sure? It really doesn’t seem like it.”

Asami shook her head. “It’s just stress. Old memories.” She pushed her father out of her mind, his voice ranting on about Lau Gan-Lan’s latest effort in stupidity. “I’m fine, really. I have a very...deeply rooted and justified disdain for the Gan-Lans.”

“I don’t think hating them is going to change who Raiko gave the contract to.”

“It won’t. I’ll…” Asami pinched her brow. “You’re right. I should be focusing on moving the mecha-giant. Should take my mind off things.”

Korra looked at her for a moment. “Okay. Do you have any ideas?”

“No. But I will.” 

* * *

Asami sat atop the ruined head of the mecha-giant, using one of the vines as a bench. She tapped her pencil against her sketchpad as she watched the construction crews bend and weld construct the skeleton of what looked to be an apartment building on the other side of the crater. Right on top of the vines. Every jumpsuit and piece of equipment were stamped with the Cabbage Corp ‘seal of approval’, if it could be called that.  

Sure, it was... _ good  _ that they were helping. Everyone needed to do their part, after all. And the city blocks surrounding the portal, at least the faces of the buildings that she could see, seemed to be repaired decently enough. Of course,  _ seeming  _ was not the same as reality. Which was exactly how Cabbage Corp turned a profit: appearing to be of quality make, but truthfully being little more than polished junk. 

If there was a physical manifestation of the world's inefficiencies, it would be----

“Asami! What are you even doing up there?”

Asami snapped out of her thoughts and peered over the edge of the head. She glared down at Lei Gan-Lan, daughter of Lau Gan-Lan, and current CEO of Cabbage Corp. Only a few years older, but so many younger in every way that wasn’t physical. Dead cabbage green eyes, lacking any kind of spark behind them, and just as boring braided brown hair. Everything about her was brown and lifeless. Drab, boring brown---

Lei chuckled. “Are you seriously going to glare at me all day? I promise I’m not trying to steal company secrets if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

“Even if you could, Lei, you wouldn’t be able to comprehend them. They’re printed on paper, not  _ cheap steel. _ ”

Lei smirked. “Yeah, you must have had the most relaxing of vacations. Congratulations, by the way!” She gestured around her. “So, are you coming down here, or not? If you need time to---”

“I don’t need a single thing from you.” Asami frowned and slid down the side of the head, landing just in front of her. “Except for you to explain why you’re building on land that cannot be built on.”

“Refugees needed housing developments, Asami,” said Lei. “And this little pocket hasn’t been used in over three years.”

“It was the spirit wilds, and I spent those years ensuring that they would be protected.”

“And then your girlfriend sucked it all up and ripped a hole into another world,” said Lei, gesturing towards the portal. “Apparently, things like this are the new normal in Republic City.” Lei shrugged. “Look, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s just a regular government contract. It’s for the good of the city.” She raised a brow. “You were the one who wouldn’t just do what Raiko wanted, so why are you so angry at  _ me _ ? Shouldn’t you be yelling at him for what you think is a dumb idea?”

Asami frowned. “Dumb idea? It’s dangerous! The vines are going to tear down everything you try to build here, and someone is going to get hurt, or worse.”

Lei pinched her brow. “Asami, just because  _ you  _ couldn’t find a way to build on them---”

“Nobody could, or can! Or should! We’re sharing this with the spirits, so you can’t just steamroll over it.”

“ _ Sharing _ ,” said Lei, clapping her hands together. “Yes. Sharing. We are sharing this land, and the world I suppose, with the spirits. Not bowing to their every whim or treating them like they know what is best for us. Because they don’t.” She scoffed. “Especially since you’re standing here telling me that if I don’t stop building, the spirits will destroy everything. Yes, that sounds exactly like the kind of people I’d like to respect and share my country with.”

Asami rolled her eyes. “The  _ vines,  _ Lei. The vines would destroy your developments, not the spirits. They have no control over what they do.”

“How do you even know that?” Lei sighed. “Was your source academically backed and supported by actual evidence, or was it just something your girlfriend told you?”

“As a matter of fact, it  _ is  _ academically sourced. And Korra had nothing to do with it.” Asami scowled. “I read it in a book.”

“What book?”

“ _ The Distinctly Unique Properties of Spiritually Binding Vines. _ ”

“Where did you even  _ get  _ that?”

“Wan Shi Tong’s Spirit Library; don’t bother trying to visit or borrow a book. You need special permission.”

“Well, isn’t  _ that  _ convenient. A book only you’ve read from a library nobody’s ever heard of that, of course, only  _ you  _ can go to.”

“You---you shouldn’t be building here.”

“Raiko was going to hire  _ somebody  _ after he fired you, so why shouldn’t it be me? Maybe you hadn’t noticed, but other people in this city have large companies and employees to think about that  _ aren’t you _ .”

Asami crossed her arms. “If you were so conscientious of your employees, you’d put a stop to this. You’d pull them out for their own good.”

“No, I wouldn’t. They need work. I need work. Everyone needs work, and that’s what’s important at the end of the day.” Lei shook her head and looked up at the portal. “You know, I have to wonder, if your father---my sincere condolences by the way---hadn’t been  _ the  _ Equalist, if you weren’t so determined to prove that you aren’t one, how would you feel about the spirits?”

“Leave my father out of this!” Asami snapped instinctively, balling her hands into fists. “He’s dead, and if you’re seriously trying to tell me that I have a hatred of nonbenders thanks to his actions---” She grunted. “I’ve worked too hard to have that thrown in my face.”

“You and the Avatar are quite possibly the single most powerful couple in human history, and one of you is, again  _ the Avatar,  _ so you’ll excuse me if I’m finding rather blatant connections to those dots,” said Lei. “If you were in deep with some gorgeous nonbender, you really don’t think your outlook on the spirits might be even slightly different?”

Asami snarled. “Whatever her bending prowess, I would never be in love with someone who seriously believes that the Equalists had a point.”

“Love, already? That was quick.” Lei gave a hollow laugh. “Well, either way, I doubt I could fall in love with someone who  _ didn’t  _ understand what they were saying.”

“You should open your next press conference with that.”

“Oh, we both know how that would play out,” Lei answered, looking beyond Asami, across the crater and towards her new development. “You’d stay pure in the press’s eyes, right along with your girlfriend. The city’s development would remain under scrutiny, public trust will be lost, and in the end, it’d be the poorer citizens of Republic City who would pay for it.” She smiled. "No, best we both keep our mouths shut, don’t you think?”

“You’re the one with something to hide, Lei.”

“Asami, we  _ all  _ have something to hide. If you can’t understand that, then you’re not nearly as brilliant as I thought you were.”

Asami pulled her head back, shocked by the compliment. “Flattery---it...it won’t get you anywhere. But thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She rested her hand on Asami’s shoulder. “See? It doesn’t  _ have  _ to be hostile between us.”

“You  _ just  _ questioned the validity of my concern of the spirit wilds by equating it to infatuation with the Avatar.”

“That’s not what I said. I was just making an observation. Your views are---” She sighed. “Why do we do this? Every time, we do this. We always do.”

Asami raised her brows. “Do what?”

“Argue like children.” Lei shook her head. “This hasn’t made sense for years. Can we just stop? I’d very much like to wake up in a world where you weren’t so committed to this ridiculous hereditary hatred, and it didn’t get a rise out of me every time we try to have a conversation.”

“I’m perfectly open to that.”

“ _ Finally _ \---”

“As soon as Cabbage Corp stops building things specifically designed to fall apart to boost sales of replacements.”

Lei ran her hand through her hair. “For the last time, we don’t do that! We make economically priced products because  _ not everybody can afford your luxury nonsense!”  _

Asami placed a hand over her chest. “Oh, it’s nonsense now? What happened to friendship?”

“It goes out the window every time you go on the radio and proclaim that the Cabbage Corp motto should be ‘shoddy workmanship!’”

Asami scoffed. “That was one time, years ago---” Her eyes widened as the ground rumbled beneath their feet. Vines shot out of the ground around the construction site, strangling the half-built development and crushing the steelwork like they were rotted wood, dragging the entire structure into the ground. Workers ran for their lives as the whole thing came down in a pile of rubble and dust. 

Lei gaped at the wreckage. “They were breaking for lunch,” she whispered. “Thank goodness they were breaking for lunch…”

Asami stepped in front of Lei with a wide grin. “You know, if you’d like, I have some old vine maps that served me quite well when  _ I  _ was rebuilding Republic City---”

“Asami, now is not the time---”

“But if you’re too proud to accept my help directly, I know of a fantastic city planner who knows the job just as well as I do. Raiko’s former city planner himself; brilliant man. Worked with him through the entire project---”

“Please stop---”

Asami gave her a look of mocking offense. “Lei? Why  _ ever  _ are so you angry at me? Shouldn’t you be yelling at Raiko for not properly warning you that this was a dumb idea?”

Lei scowled at Asami, but relented. “Yes. Yes, I should.”

“I’d be more than willing to offer my expertise as a consultant; I assure you my  _ hourly  _ rate is very competitive. For the good of the city, of course.”

Lei covered her face with her hand. “For the good of the city…”  She took a deep breath. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go...clean up everything.”

Asami watched Lei leave before turning back to the severed head of the mecha-giant. Covered in vines. Untold number of tons in weight. Airships wouldn’t cut it. “Now…” Asami tapped her pencil against the top of her pad. “How am I going to move you…?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **REVISION 2/1/2018:** Well this one was a goddamn mess originally, huh? I tried to bridge something that couldn't really be bridged because the preceding chapters were like, not emblematic of anything that was to come. I was still making things up on the fly, with the back of my brain formulating a larger narrative, but WOW was this one originally a hot mess. I mean, for one, Opal acted as the fandom which was...cute for the first few months of this existing but after that it made ZERO sense. And it was just uncomfortable. Plus, Korra yelling at Tenzin---what the hell was I even thinking? Ugh. Well, we always get better with each iteration. 
> 
> Anyway, two scenes that I added to the revision were cut because the rest of that aspect of the narrative hasn't been integrated into my revisions yet, and that's such a bummer. Because Bumi and Izumi bullying an ineffectual Raiko is just so, so fun. And it also goes deeper into what the fuck Kuvira is doing and her motivations for helping the United Republic. Surprise, in the new version Baatar Jr. isn't "dead"! It's entirely about pragmatism! Anyway, Lei Gan-Lan will be a recurring character in the new version, but I thought it was fine to just sort of hint at her here and leave the rest of the story as-is. The scene itself is more about Asami's rage than it is about any particular person, plus their banter is just so delicious. You can thank ficsandmusings for coming up with her concept! Seriously, Asami is the crazy one in this scene. 
> 
> **ORIGINAL NOTES:** Fun Fact: The two White Lotus sentries at the beginning are the same pair that gave Asami Korra's letter in "You Can't Fix Everything". Mako listing off the elements is meant to be a reference to Sokka during "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King", with Asami replacing "Fan and Sword!" with "Fist and innovation." Also because nobody ever remembers Suki, and that makes me sorta sad. Feedback is always appreciated! No matter how small, scathing, random or trivial your thoughts are, I'd love to hear 'em!
> 
> For other words, ramblings, extra stuff, Asami Sato and/or Kate Kane fangirling and other assorted fun things you can follow me on tumblr at [progmanx.tumblr.com!](progmanx.tumblr.com)


	5. Seaweed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't so much that Asami didn't see it coming, but rather she was hoping against hope that she'd be wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the first step into the actual big PLOT of the story, not that the first four weren't important. They are, and in much bigger ways that an are readily apparent. I'd have started here originally, but the story arcs I have planned are very much reliant on what happened during the vacation, ESPECIALLY Asami's development during those two weeks. Things needed to be set up properly, or the pacing would be all screwed up.
> 
> It's gonna be fun, though! Just you wait!
> 
> Anyone familiar with deterrence theory and nuclear proliferation are in for a treat. Which should be most of you, God willing. That stuff is still relevant, people!
> 
> The title isn't actually a reference to seaweed noodles. It just worked out that way. It's supposed to be the codeword for "Spirit Vines", like how "yellow cake" is for Uranium.
> 
> Beta'd, FINALLY, by BSG-Legacy.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Two Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Late Autumn, 174 A.G._

 

Asami looked out over Republic City's downtown district from the relative comfort of her office at the height of Future Industries Tower. After two months of cleanup efforts, which had been an economic boon for both herself and the entire construction industry, her city was finally starting to look like its old self. Sure, spirit vines were still firmly wrapped around everything, including a rather large one that had nested in through one of her full walled windows. After yet another heated debate with Raiko, there were no further plans existed to even attempt removing them.

Life had slowly but surely returned to the heart of Republic City. It was good to see traffic again far down in the streets below her, the little dotted satomobiles zipping in and out of lanes and through the freshly repaved and bended roads. Of course, not every street was finished yet, and the reconstruction effort was far from over. If she squinted, she could see a few earthbending crews working on alleys and side roads.

However, the biggest problem had yet to be overcome. Until today, she thought.

Asami glared down at the corpse of the fallen Colossus; unmoved since the Third Battle of Republic City. A fleet of RCPD airships and squad cars surrounded the crater where it had finally fallen, no doubt keeping citizens and the press out of harm's way. Due to giant mecha's size and weight, and platinum lining, it was impossible for any amount of metalbenders to lift and move the pieces out of the city. Not only that, but spirit vines had entangled to the ground. Lucky for everyone, Asami had figured out an alternative solution.

Asami smiled as she watched a squadron of her second-generation dragonfly hummingbird suits fly past her building and toward the Colossus. The new designs were twice the size, and were superior in nearly every way. Faster, more maneuverable, and stronger. She had modified their orientation so that they were flown horizontally, like a biplane, and even added set of rotors to work in tandem with the larger set of wings. In fact, it was starting to look more like an ornate airplane rather than a mechasuit.

The hummingbirds hovered in formation above the fallen giant. They descended in unison and locked their landing gear onto the edges of the 'head' piece of the mecha-suit. A team of firebenders and mecha-suit pilots cut through the vines with perfect precision, keeping them from regrowing just long enough. A few moments later, little by little, the big eye sore was lifted into the air and above the skyline of the city. It flew right past her window, just as the flight path instructed.

She needed to be sure.

Asami heard something knock on her other window, the one with the spirit vine growing through it. She wrinkled her nose and turned around to find a very wind battered, crooked grinned Korra. Glider in one hand, takeout bag in the other. Asami laughed as she checked her watch. 1:30. Right on time. She smiled and slid the window open.

"Somebody order lunch?" said Korra.

"Delivery by airbender! Okay, I hadn't thought of that." Asami smiled and pulled her inside, taking the glider and bag from her hand. She gingerly placed the glider on her desk and the bag on her table. "Sorry I couldn't get out of the office for lunch today. I need to be on call in case something goes wrong with the relocation."

"It's no big deal. I understand how big a day this is, y'know, for everybody." Korra closed the window behind her and sat down on the spirit vine, her legs hanging out over the edge. "I actually came up with a fun little side bet we could start. Maybe add more people if they're interested. It's...sorta dark, though."

Asami raised a brow. "Dark? You? Gambling?"

"Yeah, yeah, but I don't know, this seemed kind of fun. Take the edge off." She looked over at Asami's desk and jabbed her thumb at the day's newspaper. "The Earth-Thing keeps changing names, really often, so I thought, hey, I should put some yuans down and guess what they'll finally choose. What do you think?"

"You just want to get back at people for that betting pool about  _us,_ don't you?" she teased. "You know very well that you'll have a good amount of influence over that final decision."

"No. Maybe. Fifty yuans on Federation."

"Fifty on Confederacy and twenty on Union." mused Asami. "I like to hedge my bets." She opened the bag and wafted the steam that rose out of it. It smelled of fresh noodles---seriously Korra? "Narook's?"

Korra nodded, smiling. "Yup! It was a bit of a trek, but hey it's my lunch break, too." She shrugged. "Might as well, right?"

"Yeah." She handed Korra a warm sealed cup labeled 'tiger-seal, veggies, seaweed' in scratchy writing, and a pair of chopsticks. "I'm assuming this one is yours."

Korra took it and instantly began shoveling the food into her mouth. "Bit hard to mistake my particular test, eh?" she said with comically puffy cheeks.

Asami smiled and went to work on her own food, sitting down on top of her desk. It was nice to have a form of consistency in her life, even if it was just something as simple as lunch with Korra. Everything else could explode, but nothing could stop lunch. Apparently. "How many more of these do we get? Before you have to go?" she asked thoughtfully.

Korra sighed. "I don't know. Not many. The United Forces are already mobilizing east, mostly scouting I think." She scratched the back of her head. "Think this might be the first time I  _don't_ want to get back into the action so quickly," she said, smirking. "We should probably talk to Bolin and Opal about getting long distance to work. I mean, they're  _still_ technically doing that."

"Good idea." Asami nodded tentatively. "They've certainly managed very well." She poked at her food. "Did you see the new hummingbirds?"

"Yeah! They look awesome! I had to dodge a couple on my way here, since you  _also_ invented air traffic. Sorta. They create a lot of wind, so it's hard to get around them." She chuckled awkwardly. "I almost crashed straight into somebody's office."

Asami raised her brows. "Oh." She quickly took a notepad and pen out of her pocket and jotted down a reminder to  _fix that problem_ before an airbender gets hurt, or worse. "...I'll be sure to fix that. Sorry."

"No, it's fine, really. There's no way you could have known that would be an issue."

"I don't think that would really hold up in court if somebody got hurt."

Korra crooked her lips to the side. "...oh. Right. I guess it's a good thing I'm not the kind to sue, right?" She grinned.

"You have  _no idea._ Can you imagine what would happen if a non-bender's creation hurt an airbender? Everybody would start pointing and screaming 'equalist' all over again," she grumbled.

Korra hopped off of the vine and joined Asami on the desk, carefully moving a few stacks of papers to make room. "They wouldn't do that. It would be pretty terrible, but I don't think that argument would really...nobody would take it that seriously. Not after everything you've done, and hey, we've got proof of that!" She pointed to the film reel hanging above her executive chair. "Do I need to find your mover projector and fail miserably at trying to use it again?"

"No, that's all right." Asami chortled and managed a tiny smile. "I think half of the city's expansion budget was funded by that mover." Her eyes widened. "The fact that the words Varrick and philanthropy can be used in the same sentence is  _baffling._ "

"People change."

"And they can change back, too."

"Hey, what's with the sudden burst of pessimism? Today's a big day, and a good one. At least, I think it is."

Asami shook her head. "You're not wrong, but I don't think I feel it. I thought I'd be more uncomfortable. Moving that thing," she said, gesturing out the window. The second piece of the Colossus was just lifting off of the ground, and it looked like the hummingbirds were having an easier time of it. "I'm just...calm. Like it's just another day."

"How is calm a bad thing?"

"Because it probably means I'm suppressing something."

Korra tilted her head and slurped a long noodle past her lips. "Yeah, okay, but maybe you're not." She rubbed her forearm. "Maybe it's because you don't blame the weapon, but the one who used it."

Asami nodded slowly. "You're probably right. It's just a tool. An empty shell."

"You're not...going to put it back together, right?"

Asami shook her head. "No, of course not. Raiko will  _beg_ me to, so will others, but that's not what's going to happen." She shoved some noodles into her mouth and chewed, continuing to speak. It was a bad habit, but she knew Korra found it impossibly adorable, so once in a while...well, why not? "It's a technological marvel, even if it was created for nothing but destruction. I'm willing to bet there's a lot we can learn from it, even in pieces."

Korra was staring off into space, and clearly distracted by something. "Hope it works."

"Korra, please stop wallowing in the fact that we'll be apart."

"That's...not it."

"Then what?"

"It's…" Korra avoided eye contact. Stubbornly. "It's nothing."

Asami narrowed her eyes. "Spit it out. You've got something on your mind, and it wants out of your mouth. I've got nothing but time while that mecha is moved, so let's hear it," she said, bluntly.

Korra frowned and set her noodles down on the desk. "I, uh, I've been feeling really guilty about some stuff I haven't told you about. Or, I guess, showed you." She gestured to something invisible in the room. "Y'know, with the tree."

"Korra, we couldn't have shown one another  _everything._ That would have taken over forty years. If you weren't ready to show me---"

"That's not the point. I said I'd give you the  _whole_ story, and I didn't. I lied."

Asami neatly resealed her noodles and placed them beside Korra's. She looked her over calmly. "Korra, you don't have to lay everything out at once. You can take the time you need."

"I know, but this just feels wrong." Korra huffed and crossed her arms defiantly. "I still lied. Which isn't okay."

"Korra, do you  _want_ me to be angry at you?"

"I...sort of? I don't know."

Asami gripped Korra's forearm and found her eyes. "Look at me." She did. "It's probably not as bad as you think it is."

Korra winced. "I don't know, this is pretty bad. At least, it wasn't a good thing to leave out."

"Wanna know how to fix it?"

"How?"

"Talk about it."

Korra snorted. "Yeah, fine." She shifted uncomfortably and stared out the window. For around a minute, she just chewed her lip. Patience, ironically, was important to keep in mind around Korra. In some contexts, at least. "You're not the first person I've been with since I got hurt."

Asami raised her brows. "Oh. Three years is a long time, Korra. It's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. I saw other people when you were gone, too."

"That's not really what I mean." Korra shook her head. "There were more than a few."

"Korra…"

" _A lot._  I'm not---" She pursed her lips and looked away. "This isn't me bragging. I don't like that this happened. But it did. I just, it wasn't even for stress. Well, it was, but not exactly." She scowled at herself. "I'm not saying that I slept my way across the Earth Kingdom, but… I'm also not saying that I didn't."

Asami cleared her throat. "The Earth Kingdom is a big place."

"Yeah. It is. See what I mean?" She pinched her brow. "I mean, it was mostly women, since, aheh, much less risk of something going wrong," she blushed intensely and covered half of her face. "I don't like lying."

"Korra. It's okay. You were  _hallucinating_ half the time you were gone. I'd want to forget some of that, too. Or at least not think about it." Asami tried very hard not to smile, because it wasn't appropriate. "The women, though, that does actually explain quite a few things I was wondering about."

"Practice is practice, even if I don't remember most of their names. Or the nights at all."

"Did you just need a place to sleep?"

Korra shrugged. "Sometimes. Sometimes, just because." She grumbled and balled her hands into fists. "I just hate lying to you, since this...helped. First with the wheelchair, the nightmares, and then the flashbacks. And the other stuff. I could walk, but I couldn't  _really_ walk, and..." she trailed off.

Asami took Korra's fists and unfolded them, freeing her fingers. "If it helped you, then that's enough for me." She cocked a brow and looked to the side. "And to be perfectly honest, I sort of appreciate that you  _did_ leave that stuff out. That would have been really weird to watch."

Korra frowned. "I still lied---Ow!" Asami flicked her forehead. "What was that for?"

Asami smiled. "Woe is me. Cut that out, will you? Everything's fine. We're fine."

Korra blinked a few times and chortled into a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, lunch?"

"Yes! Clean up earthbending has become  _exhausting._ "

* * *

Korra took a deep breath and smoothed out the pavement of a particularly shattered street. The earth hummed beneath her boots, healing the scars and cracks in the ground with just a tad of grace. Eight hours a day. Six days a week. For two and a half months.

Bolin closed up some gaping holes in the walls of the storefronts along the street with a few swift motions. "Hey, Korra?"

Korra rolled her arms and looked over at him. "Yeah?"

Bolin raised a stool with earthbending and sat down on it. "Well, you're gonna have to go back east sooner or later. Probably sooner, and I want to come with you. When you do." For just a moment, his cheery demeanor vanished, and Korra saw the regret and guilt he must have been carrying with him. "I don't think I'm really the construction kind of guy. More, uh, the opposite. Against bad guys, obviously, but, you get my point."

"Bolin, you never have to ask that kind of thing. I  _always_ want you to come along when I go off to do...Avatar things." She scrunched up her face. "Unless it's diplomatic stuff, because we both hate that but you actually have the option of not going."

"Actually, I got pretty good at those kinds of things while working under Kuvira, even though I was  _accidentally_ lying, so I might be able to help with that." He blinked twice. "Wow. Saying that out loud surprises me, too."

Korra smiled. "I don't think it's surprising. You're a mover star, and you've always had a way with people."

"Opal says it's my 'honest charm'," he said dutifully, placing his palm over his chest. "I am inclined to agree with her because it makes me sound like a good person."

"...you're already a good person. Why would you need to sound like one?"

"Well, a better person, then! Come on, Korra, don't ruin my girlfriend's compliments. I wouldn't do that to you."

Korra smirked. "That's only because she'd stop saying all of those nice things to you if you did, since she's so protective of Asami and I." She scratched her head. "For reasons I still don't quite understand. Does she have a crush on both of us, or something?" She crooked her lips to the side. "If she does that could lead to a whole...bunch of...weird stuff."

"I seriously hope it's not that." Bolin buried his head in his hands. "I have no idea what it is. I keep trying to figure it out, but all she ever says is that she's just so excited about you two. I don't get it!" He looked up and flailed his arms. "It's not like she's jealous of you two for being married or something  _normal_ like that!" Bolin slapped his hands over his mouth and turned bright red.

Marriage? Well, she'd given it a little thought, but that was...no, Korra. Slow and steady. Stop fantasizing about all that and get back to- _wait Bolin Beifong?!_ Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes!

"Bolin!" Korra gasped into an open mouthed smile. "She wants to marry you?"

"I didn't say that."

"No, but you implied it, and I refuse to believe that you'd be with her this long without-"

He huffed and tossed her a small box, which she caught. She opened it to find a very pretty silver ring. An engagement ring? Right, yes, that's what those things were. It was a United Republic thing, apparently. Engagement ring? Engagement ring! There was an engagement ring in the box! Korra wanted to scream with excitement because one of her  _best friends_ was going to get married probably, but that would sort of ruin the whole...process of Bolin actually asking Opal. To marry him.

So she didn't do that.

"How long have you had this?" she whispered as she walked closer to him.

He shrugged. "A year. Well,  _that_ one I've had for a few months. I lost the first one after Kuvira caught me, Varrick, and Zhu Li trying to run. It's the same size and style, though."

She earthbent his stool into a bench and sat beside him. "It's beautiful. What kind of metal is it?"

Bolin smiled a little. "Mix of platinum and silver. Mostly silver. It's...supposed to symbolize greatness and integrity. I can't metalbend, but if I could, I could bend the silver, which would I guess  _also_  bend the platinum since it's blended in."

"Wow, you put a lot of thought into this. It's pretty much perfect." Korra inspected the ring more closely. "Aren't these supposed to have an engraving or something?"

Bolin nodded. "Yeah, that's sort of why I haven't asked her yet. I don't know what I want it to say, and before you start giving me suggestions like Mako did, all of which were terrible I might add, I want to figure it out on my own." He rolled the ring between two fingers. "This is just one of those things you've got to do alone, or it won't mean as much, you know?"

"Yeah." Korra nodded. "Who's doing the engraving?"

Bolin smacked his forehead.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot the whole part about  _actually_ needing a metalbender! Who isn't a Beifong, or some random soldier, or a cop, to engrave it oh so you, I guess." He laughed and hid the ring back into the box, placing it straight into his pocket. "Would you mind helping this poor lost lavabender on his path to marriage and love, Oh Great and Powerful Avatar?"

Korra rolled her eyes and shouldered him playfully. "Wow, I'm  _so_ happy to be chosen by default. Of course I will. I'd be honored. Just give the word and I'll...uh, put the words on it."

"Great! Thanks, that really helps a lot."

Before she had a chance to answer, one of Asami's...flying machines, painted in black and blue, came swooping down into the street, the pair of rotors creating a powerful buffeting of air around it. It no longer made sense to call them mechas or hummingbirds, since the decently sized cargo hold in the back of it made the comparison nonsense. It still had arms and legs for landing gear, or something, but...that was about it. Oh, and a beak-thing for a nose. It certainly still ornate, though.

Korra protected her head with her forearm, and Bolin turned away entirely, using his hands to block bits of dust and debris that were being kicked up. It hovered in place for a moment, the rotors  _tilted_ , and then it landed on the ground.

The cockpit hatch slid open, and Asami popped her head out. "Oh, good, I didn't knock you off your feet. The last few test flights of these prototype third generation models were tossing people around like ragdolls. Guess I fixed that."

Bolin waved. "Hey Asami! Cool, uh, thing!"

"Thank you, Bolin. Still deciding on a name. How are you?"

"Doin' good. You?"

Asami fiddled with the controls and the wings folded inward, just like a biplane. "Very well."

"I think you might have outdone me with your delivery style." Korra smirked and looked up at the sun. A little past noon. Right on time. "Hope you brought enough for Bolin, too!"

"Of course I did," she said as she hopped out of the mecha. "Courtesy of Pema, actually." She trotted around to the cargo ramp as it slid open. Asami vanished inside of it for a moment and then reappeared with a very large box. "I have to encourage this kind of workout routine in any way I can, you know," she said slyly. "The two of you have spoiled Opal and I with all of that muscle."

Bolin went through a series of victorious and heroic poses. Pro-bending to Nuktuk, and back again. "Hey, it's not easy looking this good. Takes lots of hard work." His stomach growled louder than a skybison. "...part of which is eating."

"Don't worry, Bolin. You're not gonna starve." Korra chortled and stomped her foot, earthbending a table and another bench across from her own. "Yeah, guess all the exercise is definitely a plus." She flexed her right arm thoughtfully. "Feels good to be back in peak form, I have to tell you. Really good."

Asami put the box on the table and opened it, revealing a feast that only Pema could deliver. Sweet buns, rice, veggie dumplings, steaming noodles with vegetables...more vegetables. So many vegetables. All of it was delicious, of course, but none of it was  _meat._  "I'll bet. Now, let's dig in before my lunch break ends."

Korra grinned and went to town on the dumplings and soon found herself in an eating contest with Bolin. It was starting to become pretty commonplace for them to end up doing that kind of thing. At first, Asami had tried to compete with them, but after one too many instances of stomach problems, she stopped. Korra fought Bolin over the last bowl of rice, the two of them getting into an impromptu sword fight with chopsticks before Bolin finally proved the victor by using his hands to scoop the rest into his mouth.

Korra pouted and slammed her fists on the table, causing everything on it to jump. "Hey, that's cheating! You can't use your hands!"

"I don't remember us ever specifying a rule that we couldn't," he said, with a big grin.

Asami looked down the street. "Guys?"

"Hold on, Asami, this is important," said Korra. "It's bad manners, Bolin!"

Bolin shrugged and put his arms behind his back. "Oh, and  _eating contests_ aren't? Last time I checked, which was pretty recent since Opal just reminded me of that the other day, they're considered very rude."

Asami stood from her chair. "Guys!" she said firmly. "We have to clear the road."

Korra looked down the street to see a large tarp covered truck approaching. "Oh. Thanks, Asami." She smoothed their makeshift table and chairs into the earth while Bolin grabbed the box of food and walked off to the side of the street, next to Asami's flying machine. It probably wasn't smart to eat in the middle of an intersection, but then, the roads were closed off for construction.

Excluding the vehicles the workers used, of course.

Korra joined the two of them and watched the truck pass them by. The tarp flew up for a second as it turned down toward the bay. Korra's heart fell into her stomach.

It was full of spirit vines.

Bundles of them. Flashes of the Colossus and it's raw destructive power surged through her mind's eye. She couldn't let that happen again. It was wrong. Wrong on so many levels.

"Spirit Vines!" Korra airbended her glider into her hands. "Asami, get that thing in the air!"

Asami was already strapped into her...thing, with Bolin sprinting into the back, when she turned around to them. "I'll call Lin! Go after them!" she yelled, giving her a thumbs up.

Korra nodded and sprinted away from the machine. She opened her glider and threw herself forward, airbending the wind currents to lift her several stories in a few seconds. It wouldn't take her long to spot the truck.

" _On your left!"_ boomed Asami, through external speakers.

Korra turned to her left to see Asami's bird-thing zoom past her at what was frankly a startling speed. The massive wind-wake of the flying machine sent her spiraling before she righted herself. Korra pouted and rose higher.

"...thought you fixed that…"

Korra found the truck driving along the bayside road, expertly swerving around traffic. Asami was already nearly on top of it, and any weapons she might have on that thing would probably set off the vines. Or something. It wasn't clear to her how they exploded.

Still, Korra wasn't going fast enough.

She dove downward on to the roof of a building and, in one fluid sequence, collapsed her glider, set it on the ground, and lunged forward again with a burst of firebending. She streaked through the air, flames flowing freely through her fists and feet. Life. Energy. No rage.

Well, maybe a little. Spirit weapons were an  _abomination._ Korra growled and her flames grew, surging her forward. Faster and faster. She caught sight of the truck again, and Asami clearly trying to block its path without blowing herself up, or hitting the other motorists, driving down side street after side street. They were playing a dangerous game of pig chicken, with the flying machine rising and falling in front of the truck. Bolin was leaning out of the back and slinging slabs of earth at the tires, which appeared to be armored.

Korra dropped down and maneuvered through a narrow alleyway, redirecting herself with little blasts of airbending to avoid crashing into the buildings and vines. Fire would just cause more damage, and that wasn't good. In the distance, she could hear police sirens. Good. Quick response time.

Korra bursted out of an alleyway and onto a main street just as the truck passed by from under her, along with Asami's bird above. It didn't throw her off balance that time. She didn't have time for that.

Korra brought herself close to the ground, dodging the increasingly chaotic traffic the chase was causing, and poured more chi into her fire, searing forward with an extra boost of speed to get ahead of the truck. They were almost to Kyoshi bridge, and she couldn't allow that. She grabbed onto the side of the grille and used it swing around to the front with a loud clank. Korra pulled herself up into the windshield's field of view and glared at the two morons in the truck. "STOP THE TRUCK!" she screamed at them.

The moron who wasn't driving, a middle-aged woman with brown hair, lobbed several fireballs at her through the passenger side window, all of which were poorly aimed. Korra glared at her and tried a different tactic. Specifically, breathing fire all over the windshield. Flames licked across the glass and vanished quickly. The car didn't slow down, and the driver honestly looked more annoyed than scared.

Korra grunted in frustration and held the grille tighter, crushing the metal. "All right! You asked for it!" With a powerful roar, she slammed her boots into the ground with all of her might. A wide column of stone erupted from beneath the truck's undercarriage, sending it flying in a forward tumble above her, scattering several bundles of spirit vines across the street and a few into the bay. She rolled to a stop and caught the truck mid flight with a rather straining use of metalbending.

Before she could lower it to the ground, Asami's bird-thing latched on to the bottom of the upside down truck with it's landing gear and held it in place, hovering about twenty feet above the ground. With a heavy sigh, Korra released her hold on the truck.

" _That was a close one. If you hadn't stopped the truck in another few seconds, I would have had to try a pretty crazy maneuver to catch them,"_ said Asami, through the external speakers, as she lowered the inverted truck to the ground.

"You good? _"_  Bolin yelled above the din of the rotors, his head poking out from the end of the ramp. He hopped down to the ground and sealed the truck in with two walls of earth.

"I'm fine, thanks." Korra took a moment to catch her breath, bending over and putting her hands on her knees. She gave them a thumbs up. "Nice job, you two!" Busting heads always made for a better day, if she were being honest with herself, which she was.

Three patrol cars came screaming down the street and skidded to a halt with blaring sirens. A squad of officers fanned out and surrounded the truck. Lin sprinted out of one of the cars and stared at the display.

"Good work, Sato!" she yelled.

" _I know. Your response time is still terrible."_

"Hey, I saved your butt that time, missy! You'd be in jail if I didn't respect you so damn much!"

" _Why are you screaming that? You're the Chief of Police!"_

"You just answered your own question."

Korra had watched  _that_ story in the Tree of Time, but really didn't feel like chewing Lin out for it. The RCPD officers dragging the two morons from the truck into a squad car reminded her she had better things to do. She glanced about at the piles of spirit vines scattered across the street. "Lin, you're going to want to secure these into a single pile. We can't lose track of any of them."

"I really miss the days when things were simpler. Didn't have to take orders from random twenty-somethings, and I could just  _arrest people_ for vigilantism without the whole world screaming at me."

Korra cocked her head toward the bay, ignoring the comments entirely. "A few bundles fell into the bay, so I'm gonna go fish those out."

"You do that, kid." She took her hand radio off of her belt and clicked it on. "'Seaweed' is secure. I repeat, 'seaweed' is secure. Corner of Yueshore Drive and Fifth, over."

Korra sprinted to the edge of the bay and dove into the water. It took her only a few moments to find the scattered vines, since they were still tied in bundles. She spun, rose, and broke the surface with a water spout that flowed back onto the shore, carrying the vines along with her current.

Lin scowled and growled into her radio. " _What?_  Where?!" She looked out over the bridge. "SATO! SECOND TRUCK! SAME MAKE AND MODEL, HALFWAY ACROSS THE BRIDGE!"

" _On it!"_  The bird-thing rose, blasting another whirlwind across the area as it streaked toward the bridge.

Korra's eyes widened and she waterbent herself dry. "You have got to be kidding me."

She looked toward the bridge to see the birdy-thing dive and actually  _latch on to the speeding truck._ It rose into the air, slowly but surely, and turned back around toward them. Around thirty seconds later, the truck was dropped onto the ground where Bolin was ready to trap it between two slabs of stone. The RCPD dragged two  _more_ idiots out of it, and that was that.

It had all happened so quickly that Korra could hardly believe it.

Korra checked the back of the second truck, pulling aside a small part of the tarp. More spirit vines. Just as many as were in the first truck. She balled her free hand into a fist and punched the truck's chassis, denting it. "I thought we were  _done_ with all this vine stuff."

Bolin clapped her on the back. "Yeah, me too." he frowned.

Korra snorted. "...this probably means I'll be doing Avatar things pretty soon."

"And, if things are like this, you're probably going to  _need_ lava, instead of, y'know, it just being useful."

"Probably." Korra turned back toward the open street to see Asami landing her thingy-bird-plane. She walked over toward it and gestured for Bolin to follow her. "So, that was the crazy move you were going to try?"

Asami slid open the cockpit and laughed. "Yeah, more or less." She made a circle in the air with her index finger. "The original plan was to do a spin and use the torque of the rotors to force it to stop by flying in the opposite direction, but then I realized…" She slid out of the... _thing_  and onto the ground with a grunt. "That it would just be showing off, and I could accomplish the same thing by picking them up. Of course, I didn't know the magnets were strong enough until I grabbed the first one."

Bolin raised his hand and pouted. "I, for the record, would have rather seen the spinning thing. It sounds cooler."

Asami tapped her chin and furrowed her brow. "...well, maybe if I had some sort of magnetic net, or a large electromagnet, I could pull it off, but really it's just inefficient."

"Okay, sure, I totally get that. But it'd be  _really cool."_

Korra nodded along. "He's right. It'd be really, really cool."

Asami laughed once. "One track mind."

" _Passionate-_ minded," she countered, with a lopsided grin.

Asami lowered her eyes. " _Passionate-minded_ , huh? Oh, I'd very much like to see that. You'll have to give me a demonstration."

"Even if it's just me showing off?"

"Wow." Bolin wiped some dust off of his jacket. "Still here, by the way. I mean, I can leave if you two want privacy, or whatever, but we still have the vines to deal with, so…" He jabbed his thumb behind him, at said pile of vines. "Thinkin' that's more important at the moment. Also you're in public and Lin is...still...over there."

"Don't bother, kid! Those two lovebirds have a nasty case of tunnel vision!" beckoned Lin, laughing. "You'd better get over here before they start breaking public decency laws and I have to break out the cables!"

Korra rolled her eyes.  "Very funny."

Asami slapped her forehead. "Oh for...I was on break! I was on break and  _this_ happened!"

"...yeah, but you own the company."

"That doesn't mean I can just goof off whenever I feel like it! At least, not anymore!"

Lin stomped over to the two of them and forcibly dragged them over to the pile of Vines. "Okay, that's enough of that. Remember how these things nearly destroyed the city? Yes, you do. So we're going to focus on the  _that_." She shoved them both forward. "Go on, start with ideas, because all I know is that these things are bad news. Well, besides locking down the borders of downtown and enforcing a mandatory security check for every person going in or out of the area. Already called  _that_ in."

Bolin frowned. "People are going to  _hate_ that."

"Know what they hate more? Their homes exploding."

"That...is a good point."

Asami grumbled and crouched down next to the vines. "There's only one reason why someone would want spirit vines at all, let alone in this quantity. Weapons. Ones that we have no defense against. Well, no logistically sound one, since Korra can't be  _everywhere._  And we don't even know if that would work twice..." She stood back up and bowed her head. "This...there are  _a lot_  of scary implications here."

Korra blinked. "Scarier than a giant spirit cannon? That doesn't seem possible."

"Yes, well, that's...typically how things work. There is always something more." Asami glanced back over her shoulder, looking... _exhausted_ and terrified and sick.

Korra gripped Asami by her shoulders and searched her scared eyes, biting her lip with worry. "Hey. You just went from okay to...I don't what this is, but you look like you have a fever. Explain it to me. Can you? Maybe that'll help."

"I...this is all just...ideas. Theories. There's...uhm..." Asami stammered and started breathing very quickly. "Damnit…" She closed her eyes and after a few moments, color returned to her face. "Okay. I'm okay. My imagination got the better of me for a second. I'm okay."

Korra tilted her head. "Are you sure?"

Asami furrowed her brow.  "Absolutely." 

* * *

Asami was  _not_ okay.

It couldn't be that simple. It just couldn't be. It... _no._ That's not how it worked.

She stared at Varrick with unblinking eyes. "Run that by me again."

"Asami, I don't think it's possible for me to---"

She slammed her fist on her desk. " _Do it again."_

Varrick flicked his hands in the air. "Fine, fine. I don't see the point, but whatever." He took a small piece of spirit vine in one hand and a battery in the other. He slapped them together with a loud clap and then wiggled his fingers in a wide circle, making explosion noises.

Asami buried her head in her hands. "That's it. Electricity. That's all it takes to make a bomb."

"A  _dirty_  bomb. An inefficient, sloppy bomb, but yeah, that's all there is to it. A vine this big would probably blow up this room, more or less. Surprised me, too," he said, without any of usual grandstanding or eccentricity. "I can't help but feel like this is partially my fault."

Asami gripped her hair, lest she tear his head off. "It is  _entirely your fault!_ "

"Hey, I wanted to make a battery, not some crazy purple death ray or anything like that! I was doing something noble for the Earth-whatever---"

"You were doing it for profit. I swear, Varrick, I do not have any patience for this right now."

"Okay, fine, for  _profit_! But I didn't want this! How am I supposed to sell weapons if the weapons I'm selling  _kill everybody?!_ I'd be bankrupt faster than a...than…" He snapped his fingers, clearly searching for a word. "...a rocket boat? I let Zhu Li sleep in today, so I don't have my usual...thing. With me. Which I guess are words in this case…"

Asami looked up from her desk and fought the urge to leap across it and wail into the man. "You created the potential for this kind of weapon. For this level of destruction."

Varrick narrowed his eyes. "Asami,  _both_ my wife and I have tried to blow ourselves up to prevent this technology from developing, so yes, I realize that." He steepled his fingers together and leaned back in his chair. "Look, Asami, you're getting too caught up in the bad stuff that  _could_ happen." He snapped a finger at her. "Not a great way to live, saying that from experience."

"If I don't do that, then how would I figure out what I'm supposed to be stopping in the first place?!"

"Accept that things are bad!" He yelled.

"I already did," growled Asami.  

"Don't interrupt, I'm going somewhere with this!" He countered, just as passionately.  He stared at her, waiting.

Asami looked at him like he'd just called her desk a cheating harlot.  "...which is?"

"Oh.  Thought you were going to interrupt me again."

"Why would I--"

"Moving on! The stuff exists. Spirit stuff. Can't change that, nothing we can do about it, nothing  _anybody_ can do about it." He drummed his hands on his knees. "Ever heard the expression that if it looks like a hogmonkey and tastes like a hogmonkey, you probably drank cactus juice because hogmonkies don't taste like  _anything?_ "

Asami pinched her brow. "No, and I don't think anyone else has either."

"Exactly my point! Nobody would think of that because it's  _crazy_ and  _impossible_. Know what else is crazy and impossible?"

"Talking to you for more than three seconds?"

"Close, but no. Already disproven! We've been talking for more than an hour, hah!" He smacked his palm down on her desk. "I'm talking about a way to  _stop_ this kind of weapon, even after it's been used. Maybe even when it's  _being_ used!" He leaned back in his chair and put his...bare feet on her desk. "The way I see it, we have two options. We can sit on our hands and do nothing, and watch everyone we know and love die. Or…" He grinned and steepled his hands together. "You can stop treating me like a piece of human garbage, and we can work together to figure out a way to  _beat_ this thing."

Asami swallowed, both physically and her pride. Integrity too, most likely. Her head was pounding. No choice. No way out on her own. An impossible problem. Weight of the world on her shoulders, and suddenly she realized that it's probably how Korra feels most of the time. And if she could do it, again and again, then...well, she could too. "We have to try."

"That's the spirit!" Varrick jumped out of his chair and clapped his hands together. "Okay, first thing's first!" He blinked and looked at her blankly. "Uhhhh...you. You go first. I have no idea where to start."

Asami glowered at him but decided that it wasn't worth the effort to strangle him. "Idiot. I have a few leads on spirit energy, but..." She opened her drawer and slammed the five books she'd checked out from Wan Shi Tong onto the desk. It hurt her more than she thought it would to realize that, technically, she was proving the old owl right. His knowledge was being used for war. "I want your word that we're not going to be building _weapons_.  Just defense systems."

"Yeah, I'm with you there. Hundred percent." Varrick picked up the top book and inspected it. Upside down, flipping through pages, shaking it out, smelled it, that sort of thing. Ugh. "Where'd you find these things? They look, and smell, older than dirt."

"Spirit World."

"Well, then they're  _perfect_! What better way to learn about spirit energy than books  _from_ that crazy place!"

"Don't you still have your research notes?"

"Nope. Blew 'em up."

"Copies?"

"And have my work stolen?  No thank you!"

"Well, then do you remember any of it?"

"Forgot it! On purpose! Before you ask, neither does Zhu Li. Her memory is  _scary_ selective."

Asami covered her face with her hands and fought the growing urge to beat that smile off his face. "I hate you so,  _so_ much, Varrick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mako was originally in this chapter, and part of the truck chase, but it got way too complicated and broke the flow of the story. To be honest fire/lightning is super dangerous around spirit vines. It's why you don't see Bolin lavabend the truck. No clue what could happen. They could explode!
> 
> "Yueshore Drive" is a combination of Chicago's "Lakeshore Drive" and...well, Yue Bay.
> 
> Asami's third-gen 'hummingbird' is much more similar to a small tilt-rotor aircraft than anything else. It still has that Avatar-style aesthetic, with fancy bits and gold and ornate stuff. The final product won't actually be a tilt-rotor, because this was really just Asami testing out neat things she was thinking about. It'll be more in line with early helicopters/passenger airliners. 
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated! No matter how small, random, scathing or huge your thoughts are, I'd love to hear 'em. :)
> 
> For other words, ramblings, extra stuff, Asami Sato and/or Kate Kane fangirling and other assorted fun things you can follow me on tumblr at [progmanx.tumblr.com!](progmanx.tumblr.com)


	6. Secrets and Tunnels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami takes two steps forward on one path and one step back on another. Or three. Nine. Fifteen. She has no idea. 
> 
> Also, Mako gets back to business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by BSG-Legacy
> 
>  
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Three Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Late Autumn, 174 A.G._

 

Asami stood in the wrecked head of the Colossus.

The command center was a mess of exposed wires and cables, obscuring the room. The once mobile central platform was lodged into the ground at an ugly angle, and the complex hydraulic systems that controlled spilled out onto the cold metal floor.

Asami carefully moved a curtain of wires out of her way and swept her flashlight along the instrument panels at the back of the helm. Most of them were shorted out or partially crushed from the impact, but a few were more or less intact. She traced her gloved index finger along the edge of the panels, eventually stopping at one that looked relevant.

'Power Control System'. Simple and concise. All of the buttons and dials, however, were anyone's guess. She wished she had a manual. Everything was labeled in MVs. She had no idea what that was.

"Any luck in there, Asami?!" barked Varrick.

Asami jumped and spun around to see Varrick's head poking in from above the shattered view port. "Sort of! The power readouts are still legible and..." She crouched down and yanked off the metal grate of the enclosure, revealing a few thousand wires of many, many colors. "Yup! Internal wiring is pretty much intact, too! Only problem is I can't read the measurements. It's some sort of proprietary unit of energy."

"You mean it's not in Teos?"

"No, it isn't. I mean, that's been a standard for power for over seventy years. Why change it now?"

Varrick raised a brow and massaged his mustache...while still upside down. "If I had to guess, she just renamed it without changing anything else. Egotistical tyrants love that sort of thing. What's the needle stuck at?"

"That's where it gets odder." Asami tapped one of the glass covered readouts. "Ten."

"That's barely enough power a lamp! All right, I'm comin' down there!" He clapped his hands together. "Bolin, let me down! Gently." Varrick front flipped down to the ground and landed perfectly. He looked up and grinned. "Thanks!"

"I was about to drop you anyway! You're _really_  heavy for someone your size! _"_  Bolin poked his head into view in much the same way Varrick had. "Oh, wow, this thing looks even weirder on the _inside_. Hey Asami!" he said, waving and grinning.

Asami smiled and gave him a mock-salute. "Hey Bolin. Did you go make sure the press won't step anywhere near the estate?"

"I think so. I made a giant lava moat in front of your really long driveway."

Opal's head popped up, or rather down, beside his. "And I pushed the few who were brave enough to try and cross it really far back. Quite a few waterbenders in that crowd."

Asami smiled. "Thanks, you two."

Varrick hopped and skittered over toward her and snatched the flashlight out of her hands. He squinted and swiped the light over everything in the room, including her eyes, and returned to the read-out Asami had been looking at. "Hmmmm..."

Asami bristled and buried the instinct to punch him in the head. No respect for personal space. No respect for _anything_  or _anyone_  that wasn't Zhu Li! Unprofessional! "You're just doing that to get on my nerves, aren't you?"

Varrick waggled a finger at her. "Keeps you on your toes!" He squinted at the needle. "MV? Oh!" He laughed and handed the flashlight back to Asami. "Varrick! It's in _Varricks!_  Of course it is! That's the only thing that would make sense on a scale this large! And it's in  _M_ _ega_  Varricks! Hah!"

Asami wrinkled her nose. "You named a massive unit of power after yourself?"

"You betcha! Did the same thing with Zhu Li! A single one of her, well her _average_  weight, is approximately 7.33 Sokkas. A Varrick is...uhhh..." He counts on his fingers several times in rapid succession. "Three hundred trillion Teos. Yes! Three hundred trillion! That's not just some random number, by the way. It's more or less how much energy is generated when firing the spirit cannon."

"Are you telling me..." Asami _heard_  her heart pound in her chest. That was...more power than should ever exist. It was several _magnitudes_  more energy than was needed to power the entire planet. Several hundred thousand times. "That it takes ten times that much to power this thing?!"

"Hah, I wish! It's in _mega_  Varricks! It's actually a ten million times more. Literally! Which is...wait, I forgot how many zeroes this was…" He mumbled several dozen words that Asami couldn't make out. "Right! 1.2 times 10 to the 21st power. In Teos."

Bolin hopped down to the ground. "Well, I guess you'd need that kind of energy if you wanted to shoot...purple beams of death everywhere." He looked around the head. "Still not really sure what that was, by the way."

"Neither do I! Only thing I  _do_ know is that it's not electrical energy. Otherwise, an electromagnetic pulse would have taken this down with no trouble at all."

Asami frowned and pinched her brow, pushing the _sheer power output madness_  to the bottom of her stomach. Deal with it later. "Oh, yes, I remember that part _very_  vividly. You told me to unplug everything and ran out the door. I'm _still_  replacing my building's entire electrical system, by the way."

"Casualties of war, Asami. Gotta learn to roll with the punches."

Asami stared at him for a moment. Casualties. It was amazing how she'd bury one gripe against Varrick, just for another to surface. "Yeah, you and me both." She punched him in the stomach. She flexed her fingers and glared at Varrick. "You really can't blame me for that one."

"I get it, okay? Poor choice of words. Ugh, you punch like an angry elephant-rhino!" Varrick groaned and clutched his stomach. "At least you didn't hit me in the head."

"And risk a concussion? We need your mind, not your _stomach,"_  she said, turning her back to them and crouching down to take another look at the wiring. "Varrick, why don't you go find Zhu Li and see if the two of you can piece together the remains of the spirit vine generator, or whatever was capable of generating 10  _M_ _ega Varricks_  of power."

Bolin scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, they're not going to find that."

Asami ducked her head into the access hatch and looked downward. It was almost as if the wires and internal lines were...seared off. "Why not, Bolin?"

"It just sort of vanished. Mako shot lightning into the big thing of spirit vines and next thing you know, lots of lights and...poof. Gone. It was _really weird."_

Varrick straightened back up to his feet and paced around Bolin. "That _is_  weird! It only took enough vines to fill a barrel to blow up a big stretch of nothing! A few hundred feet in every direction, if memory serves."

"Wait..." Asami blinked and felt the gears in her head spin faster and faster. "We already know that when introduced to a powerful enough electrical current, spirit vines release exponentially more energy and eventually explode." She turned back toward the rest of them, pushing her confusion as to why Opal was still hanging upside down into the back of her mind. Maybe it was an airbender thing? "Bolin, how many vines did Mako shoot lightning into?"

Bolin hummed in thought. "I couldn't give you a number, because there were _a lot_  and they were all sort of...tied together, but it was around as big as, let's say around three satomobiles? Maybe four. About the size of the nice blue one you drive."

Varrick's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "That's enough energy to destroy the entire city. And the mountains surrounding it!"

Asami nodded slowly. "That's just what I was thinking."

Bolin's eyes widened. "Uhhh, okay. That's pretty scary. If it didn't explode, then...what did it do?"

Asami and Varrick locked eyes for an instant. It was the only logical explanation. "It  _imploded_!" they said in unison.

"Imploded…?" asked Bolin.

Varrick slung his arm around Bolin's shoulder. "Total opposite of an explosion! Instead of throwing big purple energy everywhere, it, uh, pushes it all inside of itself until it's gone!"

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I know. Implosions are crazy like that, but  _trust me_ \---"

"I sorta don't."

"They  _do_ exist!"

Bolin looked at Asami and shrugged. "Okay, so it...imploded? Why'd it do that? I'm gonna use logic here for a second, yes, crazy I  _know_ ," he said with a grin. "But it seems to me that, since lightning is energy...putting more into a thing that makes lots of it would make it explode. Which was the original plan, and  _wow_ that was not a good plan."

Asami smirked. "When has _logic_  ever applied to the Spirit World?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't really help with this. There has to be a reason, right?"

Varrick shook his head. "There doesn't  _have_ to be a reason. It's the Spirit World."

Asami crossed her arms and leaned back against the panel. "I hate to admit it, but he's right. Nothing has to make sense."

"Uhh, okay? Well, just throwing this out here, random thought. Maybe it has something to do with the generator? It didn't look  _anything_ like the one Varrick made and then turned into a bomb. It wasn't even inside a tube. Just a big tangle of glowing vines."

"That's...certainly possible. I have no idea how that would cause an implosion, though."

Opal rolled her eyes. "Why don't you two geniuses just go and _ask_  my brother about this? He's in prison, not dead."

"Oh. I didn't think he'd be so forthcoming."

"Well, you won't know until you try. Do you want me to call Auntie Lin and get her to grant you clearance?"

Asami chuckled. Auntie Lin. "That would be great, thanks."

"All right, I'll go do that," she said. With a burst of air, she heard Opal glide away.

Asami cleared her throat. "While I'm out, Varrick, I want you and Zhu Li to start making small-scale spirit bombs. The kind of thing we could blow up in the yard and not cause an international incident. Both the 'dirty' and 'clean' varieties. They're for _testing_ , not for weapons development. " She clapped Bolin on the shoulder as Varrick sprinted like a wildman out of the Colossus. "Bolin, could you---"

"Get rid of the lava?"

"Well, yes, that, but I was wondering if you could come with me. Prisons..." She bit her lip for a moment and shuddered. "I don't like prisons."

"Sure."

Asami smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

* * *

Korra leaned against the thick padded walls of the platinum cell. She looked down at Kuvira, who had somehow managed to stay fit while in jail. Pride was a hard thing to humble. The former tyrant still wore green, but they looked more like rags than a uniform. Well, it still technically  _was_  a uniform. Just not as nice. "I'm surprised nobody has tried to break you out yet."

Kuvira shrugged. "I'm sure there have been attempts. Fanaticism is difficult to stem. However, it is _very_  easy to encourage."

Korra chortled dryly. "Anyone ever tell you to write a book of proverbs? I think it would sell pretty well."

"...it is something I considered, to be perfectly honest. Something a bit more modern than _'The Dragon of the West',_  which is a fantastic book, if you've never read it. But, that would have been far more egotistical than I was willing to go."

Korra had not read that book. She did, however, remember seeing a signed copy of it in Asami's library. To Satoru, no less. "You do remember that people wore shirts with your face on them, right?"

"I didn't manufacture those. I didn't create them. I didn't suggest them. Personally, I thought they were _ridiculous._ Baatar bought one as a joke, which was, I'll admit, amusing at first." She smiled sadly. "The look on his face when I tore it off and threw it into the campfire was adorable."

Korra tilted her head. "Hey, so, I've got a question."

"You often do."

"Right, well, this time it's important."

"It often is."

Korra glared down at her. "Kuvira."

Kuvira held up her palms in a placating manner. "I concede. What is your question, Avatar?"

"Before you found the swamp, did you have any plans of smuggling spirit vines out of Republic City?"

"Smuggling? After Varrick and Bolin defected..." Kuvira narrowed her eyes. "I sent agents into the United Republic to investigate if such a thing were possible, but they ended up coming back empty handed...because _for some reason_  they thought that I wanted custody of Wu." She rolled her eyes. "Capable though they were, they failed to understand that such an act was, inevitably, meaningless. What was I to do with him? Kill him? Throw him in a prison camp? No matter my decision, nothing would change."

Korra sighed. "I guess not."

"Why are you asking this?"

Korra looked at the former tyrant gloomily. "We caught two trucks trying to smuggle several dozen bundles of vines across Kyoshi bridge last week. No identifiable markings on the drivers or the trucks, and one of them was a _firebender_ , but...I thought I'd at least check." Korra rubbed her forehead. "I had to be sure."

"I understand. However, even if they were part of my old regime, they would not be attempting to build another mecha-suit. I promise you that."

"I figured as much. Not enough metal. Well, obviously, everyone is worried what this could all mean..."

"It can mean a lot of things, Avatar." Kuvira clenched her jaw. "Is anyone...actively _developing_  these weapons? Not individuals. Nations."

Korra shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't think so. Neither my cousins or my father would have _any_  interest in messing with the spirits after Harmonic Convergence, so the Water Tribes aren't touching this stuff. The Fire Nation, well, no. Needs no explanation. Same for the Air Nation." She crossed her arms. "As for the United Republic, I know Raiko _wants_  them, but the only minds smart enough, as far as I know, all refused to make them for him. Or they're in jail."

Kuvira sighed deeply and looked...surprisingly relaxed. "Good. Let us both hope it stays that way."

"It won't," she said bluntly. The absolute certainty in her tone surprised her.

Kuvira scoffed. "Pessimism, coming from you? Interesting."

"I've been a pessimist for a long time, Kuvira. Ever since I left home and came here. Assume the worst, and you come out on top. It's worked for me so far. Mostly."

Kuvira simply nodded.

"Okay, worst case scenario? How about you give me that?"

Kuvira stared off into space. "Avatar, you do _not_  want to learn of this."

"Actually, I do. So spill it or this nice conversation ends."

"Everyone dies."

Korra frowned. "Try again."

" _Everything_  dies."

"Last chance."

"I'm not telling you today, Avatar. It is a burden you do not have to carry. For now, at least."

"Fine, be a martyr again." Korra shrugged and rapped her knuckles against the platinum door. "I'll see you when I see you."

"I look forward to it."

"Yeah."

For Korra, the sequence of exiting the cell and being escorted back to the main wing of the prison had become a blur of muscle memory. Always the same and an exercise in her patience of monotony. The same was true for actually getting _in_  to the maximum security wing. Checked for metal, water, sand and rocks. Questioned the purpose of her visit. Signed lots of documents. As the Avatar, she thought at first that she should be exempt because _she put her there in the first place,_  but then that would set a bad precedent blah blah blah.

Ugh. Politics were infuriating most of the time.

"Korra, I saw Naga outside. What are you doing here?"

Korra snapped back from automatic and found herself in the lobby of the prison staring at Asami, holding a stack of papers. Muscle memory is no longer to be trusted. "What are... _you_  doing here?" Smooth, Korra. Smooth.

Asami slowly raised a brow. "I'm visiting Baatar Jr. We're getting his input on..." She gave her a look. That one. The one that she's supposed to know. "Seaweed noodle recipes." Oh, the vines. Right.

"Oh, I hear he's the _best_  at that! Be sure to write them down so we can cook it later."

"Little too far there."

"Really?"

"Just a bit."

Bolin barreled through the front door, dozens of camera bulbs flashing behind him. He slammed the doors behind him with a scared look on his face. "Asami, I can't tell where the Nuktuk fans start and the reporters begin! That is a _very confusing_  crowd! Also I think Naga might have eaten someone's camera." He looked over at Korra and grinned. "Hey Korra wait, why are you in prison?"

Korra blinked. "I was...looking for the bathroom."

Asami shot her an unamused look. "In prison."

"Yes.  It's a water tribe thing."

"Looking for a bathroom.  In a prison."

"...yes."

"Did you find it?"

"...no. Okay, so gotta go do Avatar things! Bye!"

"You're a terrible liar." Before she moved another inch, Asami had her hand on her forearm, gripping it like a vice. "Why are you here, Korra?" she asked quietly.

"I came here to see you, obviously."

"You didn't know I'd be here."

"Oh. Right."

Bolin blinked twice. "Uh, Asami do you want me to let them know we're here?"

"Yes, thank you." Asami squeezed her arm tighter, cutting off circulation. "Korra, in about thirty seconds I'm going to see a sign-in sheet with your name on it. The prisoner you visited will be listed _right next to that."_  She looked at Korra with an air of curiosity and veiled anger. There was something else there, too. Sadness? Hope? Denial? "Is there anything you'd like to tell me, before I do that?"

Korra bowed her head and covered Asami's vice-like hand with her own. It hurt, but Korra was pretty sure she deserved it at the moment. "I'm sorry."

"You..." Asami curled her lips into a snarl and pushed Korra away. "I can't believe this. Even you. Even _you_." Then, she got nose to nose with her and jabbed a finger in her face. "If we were _anywhere_  else I'd smack you right in the mouth, and you'd take it because you know I'm right. With any luck, I'll be done in a few hours here. You are going to meet me at my estate, and then we are going to talk about this."

"It's not that simple---"

" _We will talk later."_

Korra closed her mouth and nodded.

"Good." Asami took a very long, deep breath, and just like that regained her composure. "I'll see you later." She walked off toward the main wing of prison cells with Bolin walking beside her. He looked over his shoulder at her with a raised brow, and Korra knew they were whispering something about her. Probably.

Korra walked outside and was immediately swarmed by a mob of reporters, their cameras and questions firing off faster than she could keep up. She balled her hands into fists and resisted the urge to just airbend everything away from her. Instead, she whistled with two fingers.

Naga roared in that terrifying way that she loved so much and the crowd fled in a panic.

"Nice job, girl," mumbled Korra as she walked up to her polar bear dog, rubbing her fur. Naga coughed and spit out a bunch of broken camera bits. Korra stared down at them with a frown. "Somehow I feel like it was worth it to see the photographer's face, huh?"

Naga panted happily.

Korra had no idea how to feel. Should she feel wrong? Guilty? Right? Justified? Korra supposed it was high time for the _arguing_  to start. It wouldn't stay that way forever. No. Korra was _not_  going to let that happen. Maybe she should write a speech. Or, well, no, not that.

Heart to heart, that was the best plan moving forward.

She hoped.

* * *

Bolin saw Korra's name on the registry. He saw that it wasn't her first time there, and that her name reached back nearly three months. Of course, he wasn't going to tell Asami that. Korra would, if she had any sense at all. She was the Avatar but...Kuvira still _tried to kill them and everyone they knew and loved._  Him, especially! Bolin! Twice!

He walked alongside Asami, racking his brain for something to take her mind off of the situation. If that wasn't betrayal...sort of, then he...man, it was really complicated. Not for Asami, he assumed. So, distraction. Yes, because Bolin was the undisputed best guy to have around when you needed, well, anything.

"Asami."

"I don't want to talk about it," she whispered. "Please, Bolin. Let's just focus on this for now."

Bolin hummed 'nonchalantly'. Oh, he had this. "Really? That's too bad, Asami. 'Cause I would've thought, as one of my best friends, you'd find..." He reached into his pocket and displayed his little engagement ring box to her. "This pretty interesting and important."

"Bolin."Asami's frown very quickly turned completely upside down. She covered her mouth with her free hand, her other arm still holding on to her files. "You're going to get married." She laughed into an even bigger smile. "You're getting _married._ "

"Probably."

"No, no.  _No._ She will say _yes._  She's going to scream it. She's going to start flying around and make tornadoes. You two are basically made for one another, and she loves you just as much as you love her which is something that I honestly thought would be _totally impossible_  for someone to do, but there she is!" She wrapped him in a big hug. "You're going to be a Beifong!"

"Yeahhh...most likely! Is it weird that I don't feel bad that I told you this in a prison." He slipped the box back into his pocket. "While...visiting her older brother?"

Asami shrugged. "Oh, who cares? You're getting married. That's all that matters."

Operation: Make Asami Forget About the Thing was a complete success.

Bolin grinned and skid to stop as they approached a...regular old prison cell. "Well, this takes me back..."

Asami nodded to the metalbending officer and he slid the door open, revealing a very surprised Baatar Jr. lying on his bed.

Baatar raised his brows. "...you two are the last people I ever expected to visit me."

Asami walked into the cell, along with Bolin, and it closed behind them. "Normally, I wouldn't bother, but there's been a...troubling development." She handed him a folder. "Two trucks were caught trying to smuggle a large amount of spirit vines out of the city. I trust I don't need to explain what that means. Varrick, Zhu Li and I are developing countermeasures against the kind of energy generated by spirit vines, and we realized something while examining the wreck of the Colossus." She sighed. "The entire generator is _gone."_

Baatar skimmed through the documents. "Well, you got the math right, I can tell you this much. What makes you think I'd be willing to help with this project?"

"Opal said you would."

" _Opal_? Oh, well...fine."

Bolin tilted his head curiously. "Wow. That was really easy."

"What do you expect, Bolin? I'm in jail. I'm bored!"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"So, when you said that the generator was gone, what did you mean by that?"

Asami shrugged. "It's just...gone. Vanished. Our working theory is that, somehow, the way your generator worked caused an implosion when it overloaded, rather than an explosion. Since..." She gestures around them.

Baatar nods. "Everything would have been destroyed. Bolin, I thought you and your brother managed to shut it down."

Bolin chuckled darkly. "No, no, didn't manage that. We pulled the levers at the right time, but it didn't turn off so Mako shot lightning into it. A lot. Then poof, gone."

"He did _what_?!"

"Lightningbending. You know, special firebending."

"No, I know what it is, I'm just wondering how the both of you are even alive! How _any_  of us are! That should have killed us all!"

Asami cleared her throat. "Exactly my point. The only unknown factor here is the way your generator worked. If you could outline it, or tell us a location of the design documents, really any information at all, we'd very much appreciate it."

"Very well." Baatar rested his head on his hands. "Tell me, though. Did Varrick ever figure out how Spirit Vines actually _work_? Because that's sort of important to this."

Bolin shook his head. "No, he did not. Pretty sure that was on purpose, though."

"Probably, knowing the lengths he went to in order to destroy his research." He frowned. "I...apologize, Bolin. I just realized I never got a chance to do that."

"Apology accepted. Half because you're my girlfriend's older brother, and the other half because...well, it's not _your_  fault I almost died. That was Varrick."

"Very true. Well, in any case, Spirit Vines aren't actually a form of pure energy, but it's easy to make that mistake. They act in a very similar way, but in reality they're far more complicated."

Asami nodded and scribbled down lots of things on her notepad. "Okay. Varrick...was...wrong. Got it. What else?"

Baatar smiled a little. "Okay, think of a Spirit Vine as a sort of...thin barrier between our world and the Spirit World. Now, when you turn it 'on', by running an electrical current through it, the barrier between our worlds weakens, and spirit energy is _moved_  from the Spirit World into our own. They're not actually generating anything! They're _conduits._ "

Asami gaped and wrote down _a lot_  of words and symbols and...most of that was math he didn't understand. High level stuff. "Wait, wait, so then the explosion isn't an overload of power generation, it's like a pipe bursting. The vine can only sustain so much energy, but when it reaches its limit, it explodes, dumping all of the energy it can into our world."

"Exactly."

"That's...well, that makes sense. But, your generator, how did you compensate for that?"

"By redirecting the excess energy _back_  through the vine itself."

"You mean..." Asami's eyes widened. "Back into the Spirit World?  _How_?"

Baatar smirked. "I'd tell you, but the Asami Sato I've heard of would rather figure that out on her own."

"You would be right. Besides, now that I know it's possible, that...that's perfect!" She beamed at Bolin. "Bolin, we wouldn't have to deflect or even nullify the energy. We could just _send it_  back into the Spirit World!"

Bolin cleared his throat. "Okay, yeah, that's great, but wouldn't that make something explode in the Spirit World?"

"...maybe? We'll test it." Asami hopped to her feet and grabbed the folder Baatar was holding. "Thanks for your help, Baatar. I'll be sure to let you know how the project turns out."

As they turned to leave, Baatar called out to them. "Asami, wait."

She turned to him, curious. "Hm?"

"I know nothing I can say can undo the damage I've done. To the city, to my family, and to...well, everything. And that I don't deserve forgiveness, but I still want you to know that I am _truly_  sorry for what happened to your father." He buried his head in his hands. "I looked up to him when I was-"

"Baatar. Stop," she said firmly. "Just stop. I don't blame you for that. You may have built the weapon, but _you weren't the one using it._ To be honest, I'm more impressed by the mecha-suit than anything I've seen in a very long time. Well, now that it's not trying to kill us anymore."

"Oh. Well, then I'm sorry for your loss. And thank you, I think."

Asami shrugged. "It is what it is. C'mon, Bolin."

"Oh, and Bolin? One last thing." The next thing Bolin knew he was pinned to the wall by a _surprisingly strong_  Baatar Jr. "If you hurt Opal in _any way_ , and don't marry her, I will make it my life's mission to invent things that serve only to make your life a living nightmare." He released him and sat back down on his bed.

Bolin blinked. "...I'm confused. You _want_  me to marry your sister?"

" _GET OUT OF MY CELL!"_

* * *

Lin stomped her bare foot into the ground, feeling the vibrations and echoes of the earth. Top soil, concrete. Metal. Large empty pocket of air. Wait. Tunnel, tire tracks stretching on for...miles and miles and...oh for...

"Your gut was right on the money, Mako. Straight out of the hospital, no less." She scowled and opened several stories worth of earth in front of her. " _Another_  set of secret tunnels running below the city and deep into the countryside. We should really just check for these periodically."

Mako nodded and pointed his flashlight down the shaft. "Wow. They look like they were made by...really sloppy earthbenders. And are those claw prints?" He asked, raising a brow. "What kind of animal could---oh no.  _No."_

Lin pinched her brow. "Badgermoles. How did we _miss_  this?! This should have been the first thing to fix! Months ago!"

Mako groaned. "I can't even blame Wu for this! This was just bad labor scheduling!"

"...no, we can still blame Wu."

"We can?"

"Sure, why not? He made the tunnel and didn't clean it up."

"I like that plan." Mako chuckled. "You have _no idea_  how much I've missed being a detective, Chief."

Lin smiled, but only a little. "Trust me, kid. I do. I _really_  do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to BSG-Legacy for helping me with the math here. You can also thank him for figuring out a logical explanation for how spirit vines work while still keeping to the lore of the series. Pretty sure we got the math right, but if you spot a mistake, let me know!
> 
> For reference, 1 Teo (the Mechanist's son from the original series) is equal to one watt of power. A 15 Kiloton atomic bomb generates around 3 terawatts of power when detonated, which is his guess for how much power a single spirit cannon shot is. So, the generator that Baatar Jr. managed to build would be able to power the entire planet basically forever, since it was a consistent rate.
> 
> Oh, and yes, the next chapter will be dealing with Korra and Asami's...decently large problem. It's important to them, and the story, and it really only makes sense as it's own chapter.
> 
> As always, feedback is greatly appreciated and encouraged! No matter how small, scathing, random, or rambling your thoughts may be, I'd love to hear them.
> 
> For other words, ramblings, extra stuff, Asami Sato and/or Kate Kane fangirling and other assorted fun things you can follow me on tumblr at [progmanx.tumblr.com!](progmanx.tumblr.com)


	7. Contention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami Sato doesn't lose her temper...except when she does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny story. I had this mostly done the same day the last chapter went up, but wouldn't you know it, my eternally awesome beta was sick as a dog. But, BSG-Legacy is better now, so here it is. My writing wouldn't be half as good without him. He's the best.
> 
> Oh, and naming rights for Asami's VTOL go to both Marysocontrary and moonwatcher13 over on FF.net, since I slapped both of them together. I couldn't use Satocopter since...well, there aren't any helicopters in Avatar, so the 'copter' part makes no sense. And 'Magno' implies that the magnets are it's primary function. Thanks, you two!
> 
> EDIT 5/15/2017: NOW WITH ANGRY SEX!

_Three Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Late Autumn, 174 A.G._

 

Asami growled and furiously buffed the exterior of her new tilty-rotor plane-ship-bird thing. Logic dictated that she should be organizing her thoughts for what was going to be a painful evening, if she had anything to say about it, but she was too angry to care. All she had to do was wait for that  _inconsiderate, impulsive woman_ to come knock at her estate's...outdoor open air workshop.

Ugh. Whatever.

She was half a bottle of whiskey into her evening's...engineering rampage. So far, she'd taken apart and reassembled the aircraft's entire engine structure. Four or five times. The third time may or may not have been her satomobile's transmission.

The specifics didn't matter. It was put back together again. It was fixed.

Her clothes were smeared with engine grease and oil. Taking her makeup off as soon as she'd gotten home had proven to be a wise move.

The tell-tale jingle of what could only be Naga's saddle came bouncing closer and closer behind her. She didn't turn around because frankly the new bird could use a seventh layer of wax. Or whatever it was she was doing. She might be using soap, as she wasn't paying that much attention.

"Naga, go play, okay? I'll be fine."

Asami scowled into her wax shined reflection. She looked...ew, she looked  _terrible_. All battered and angry and exhausted. Clearly, she needed more whiskey. Asami turned off her...whatever it was. It wasn't a blowtorch, she was sure of that. Anyway, she turned the thing off, walked over to her workbench and poured herself another glass. After much internal debate, she poured a second glass and left it on the table.

"Asami?"

Asami didn't look up, choosing instead to stare into her glass. "Drink."

"I'd rather be fully attentive for---"

Asami jabbed a finger at the whiskey. "That's fifty year old whiskey. Drink or pay for it." She heard Korra pick the glass up from the table. "Good. Now, drink it."

"Fine."

Asami looked up at Korra as she knocked back her drink in one go. She raised a brow as Korra coughed and stumbled back into the table. "I didn't say all at once."

"Well, you  _implied_ it!"

"No, I didn't. You just assumed I did. Good job wasting good liquor, Korra."

"Sorry."

Asami gave her a sidelong glare. "You're not," she said quietly.

Korra narrowed her eyes and set her empty glass on the table. "How long have you been out here?"

"I don't know. What time is it?"

"About 10:30."

"Four hours, then." Asami slammed her fist against the hull of her shiny new flying machine. "She has a name now." She took a sip of her drink, now entirely apathetic as to the taste and aroma of it.

"Magnobird? Tigerwasp?"

"No, those were dumb. The  _Satohawk._ "

"I liked Magnobird..."

Asami shrugged. "I don't care, you're not marketing. Or advertising. Or PR."

Korra crooked her lips to the side. "You're jazzed."

Asami swirled her drink. "Why thank you."

"No, I mean you're corked."

Asami frowned intensely. "I eat plenty of vegetables, not that it's any of your business."

"Damnit, no, you're plastered!"

Asami scoffed. "Absolutely not. I don't get  _plastered._ I've got an edge going, that's all. _"_

"Tonight you do, that's for sure. Your voice sounds like it could cut my head off."

Asami pinched her brow. " _Buzzed,_ Korra. Tipsy. Between sober and drunk."

Korra screwed up her face. "Oh. Isn't it a bad idea to drink angry? And alone?"

"It is," she said casually. "But then, you're why I'm angry, and  _she's_ why I'm alone," she hissed. "So that...evens out. Or something."

"You're not alone." Korra walked toward her and reached out, only for her to walk backward. She let her arm hang in the air for a moment before dropping it. "Do you want to be alone? I can come back another time."

"No." Asami gave her a hard look and gripped her glass tighter, whitening her knuckles. "Why were you at the prison today, Korra?"

"You already know why."

"No, I just have a very likely assumption." She narrowed her eyes. "I want you to look me in the eye and tell me."

Korra sighed and ran a hand through her hair absently. "I was visiting Kuvira."

"Of course you were. And  _why,_ exactly, did you think visiting her was a good idea? Help me understand your clearly misguided logic." she seethed.

Korra huffed. "I wanted to see if she had information about the vines, okay?"

"Are you the only person she'll talk to?"

"That's not the issue, and you know that."

Asami downed the rest of her drink and settled the glass on her workbench. "Then why were you there? Why couldn't you just ask  _someone else_  to do it for you? Why did it have to be you?"

"I needed to be sure.  I needed to hear it myself."

"Korra, if it were that simple, you'd have told me at the prison. We wouldn't even be having this conversation, so  _clearly you're not telling me something!_ " she growled.

Korra opened her mouth, closed it, raised a finger, dropped her arm and grumbled. "You really don't want to know, okay?"

Asami's entire body tensed and she felt bile rise in her stomach. It wasn't supposed to be like that. Everything was supposed to be  _simple,_ just once. Just once. She glared at her. "I'm losing patience. What are you hiding, Korra?"

Korra frowned pleadingly. "Asami, please, this is just one of those things that you don't need to know about. I promise I'll tell you everything once it's all over. I don't want to hurt you, and talking about this now is going to do that."

Asami scowled. "You're hurting me already by  _not talking about this stupid thing!_  Just say it! So help me, Korra, I'm  _this_ close to---"

"This wasn't the first time! We've been working together since shes surrendered three months ago!" she blurted.

Asami felt all of the anger and rage drain out of her in an instant. It was as if someone had poured a bucket of freezing water over her, drowning her fire. She licked the inside of her lips. The metaphorical knife was resting just against her skin, right under her shoulder blade.

No. No, no. No, not Korra, too. She had no words.

Korra sighed. "I don't think she's evil, just misguided. I feel like there's a real chance she can  _help_ fix this mess she's made, and that she really truly wants to. But she can't do that unless we give her a chance, so that's...that's what I've been doing." She crossed her arms. "Trying to understand her better, and if she's, y'know, faking or not."

And there it was, another deep gouge into her back. It fit so well next to all the others. She'd lost count at how many stab wounds she'd endured. Close to a dozen, at least. "You're trying to make friends with her, is that what you're saying?" she asked quietly.

"Sort of.  It'd help if she _thought_ that, but she's not stupid---"

"She killed my father, Korra."

"I know, but---"

"She killed my dad." Her eye twitched.

"Asami---"

" _SHE KILLED MY DAD!"_ she screamed, all of her fire and rage surging back to life. The knife kept twisting, but she didn't care. She'd spent too long just  _enduring_ it all. Not anymore.

"Don't you think I know that!? Every time I look at her, it's almost all I can think about! But the reality of the situation is that I can't just---I have to put that aside. I don't want to, but I have to, because otherwise things are only going to get worse a lot faster."

"She is going to go to trial, they'll convict her, any day now, and then she'll be executed. It is  _that_  simple. That is the  _end of the conversation_!"

"It's not that simple. It's  _really_ not."

"Why the hell not?" she yelled, flinging her arms into the air. "Explain to me how justice is now suddenly complicated for a mass-murdering tyrannical dictator who tried to kill  _everyone we know and love_!"

Korra clenched her jaw. "There isn't going to be a trial."

"Even better!"

"No, Asami, it's...she's not going to be executed. She's going to keep working with the United Republic. The politics involved are...complicated, but it's the best chance we have, as wrong as it feels."

Asami's eyes bugged out of her head and slowly advanced on her, balling her hands into fists. "And you agree with this decision? To let her live? That she be given the chance to redeem herself? After  _everything_  she's done? After she killed my father?"

"I do. I'm sorry, Asami, I wish I didn't, please believe me when I say that.  But I do."

Asami felt something snap in the deepest, darkest pit of her mind. All violence and boiling rage. If she didn't move, she'd...she didn't know what she'd do. Nothing good, and it wouldn't be worth it. " _Fine._ " She turned on her heel and began stomping across the grounds toward her front door.

"Hey, wait!" Korra followed her, because of course she would. "I'm not asking you to forgive her!"

"Good, because I never will!"

"Okay, well, I'm also not saying you should trust her."

"Won't happen either!"

"But I need you to understand that this is what's best for the world. Can you please try to look at the bigger picture here?"

"You're the Avatar, I  _get it._ The world is out of balance and this is how you're going to fix it," she growled. "Believe me, I understand perfectly well where your loyalties lie."

"Loyalty? This isn't personal! It has  _nothing to do with you_!"

Asami spun on her heel and screamed right in her face. " _IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH ME!_ How can you not understand that?!" She shoved Korra backward. "How do you not see that?!" Her rage is nearly at its boiling point. Everything she'd bottled up, every grievance, every cruel twist of fate started to rise to the surface.

And for the first time in over a decade, Asami couldn't stop it. She didn't even want to.

"Okay, fine maybe that was a poor choice of words!" Korra frowned intensely. "What the hell do you want from me, Asami?! I'm sorry! I'm sorry that Kuvira screwed up the world like she did! I'm sorry that this is how things are! I'm sorry I hurt you!"

Asami felt her whole body twitch and spasm. "But you're not sorry you did it in the first place!"

"No! I'm not! This isn't as cut and dry as you want it to be, and you can't just magically change my mind about that! I didn't have a  _choice_ , okay?!"

"Oh, that is just the biggest load of shit!" Asami growled and shoved her shoulders again. "No choice? How stupid do you think I am?! You  _always_ have a choice, and nobody forced you to go down there and make good with the monster who  _murdered my father!_ "

Korra stumbled backward a few steps and looked between her shoulders and Asami, her eyes slowly turning hard. "I didn't have a choice. The alternatives would---you'd get dragged back into this. All of this. I know you don't want that, and I don't either. So, I didn't have a choice."

"Why the hell not?!"

"How much more clear can I make this?" Korra balled her hands into fists. "Because that's just how it is, Asami. Sometimes you really _don't_ have a choice."

Asami snarled. "You didn't think it through, did you? No, of course not! You didn't think that  _maybe you should have at least discussed this with me!?"_ Asami shoved her a third time, harder. "Just like everybody else! Knife! In the back! Twisting and gouging!

"I didn't stab you in the back!"

"And yet you've offered no explanation or evidence of that! Why should you need to?! You're the  _Avatar,"_ growled Asami, shoving her a fourth time, and much harder. "What's wrong with you?!  _Fight back._ Fight for your convictions, Korra, because clearly you think you're doing  _everything_  right!"

Korra grounded her feet into the earth to counter her stumble and glared straight at her. "I  _am_ the Avatar, and I what I'm doing is the right call."

"And apparently betrayal is the  _right_ thing to do in this day and age! Amazing!" Asami cracked her neck and knuckles. "No. You know what? You don't  _get_ to stab me in the back like everybody else. I won't let you. This time, it's right in the front."

" _I DIDN'T STAB YOU IN THE BACK!_ " Korra flung her arms up into the air. "And I am sure as hell not going to  _fight_  you!"

"Why not?!"

"A thousand reasons! Ten thousand reasons! It should be obvious!"

" _Korra!_ "

"What?!"

"Damnit, I---" Asami bit her lower lip and set her jaw. "I need this," she said softly.

Korra narrowed her eyes. "No, you don't."

"Yes. I  _do._ "

"This is insane."

"Don't you think I know that?!"

"Then  _why_? No, you don't have an answer. I know you don't, because I've been there! You want to beat the crap out of something because you just  _need to."_ She patted her stomach. "You've got all this rage  _festering_ in your belly, and it wants out, so it's either going to leave your body through violence or passion. It's the same as firebending!"

"I'm  _not a firebender_! That doesn't apply!"

"Yes! It does! You're overflowing with rage, and you have no idea what to do with it other than to hit something! I can feel it, and so can you. No matter how angry you are at me, and I am at you for being  _very selective with your listening_ , there's a much better option than fighting angry!"

Asami gritted her teeth. What was left of her normal, logical and rational self was urging her to listen. That Korra was right, and had her pegged. But she was just... _so angry_. So damn angry. "Okay, what is it, then?"

"Angry sex."

Asami's eyes widened. " _Really_ _,_ Korra?!"

"It is! That's the passion! First you're drinking angry, now you want to  _fight_ angry? This is the kind of thing where you can lose control---"

Asami threw herself at Korra, crushing their lips together with a yank of her hair as she slammed her back into the wall. She pulled back, still holding Korra’s head just in front of her, and licked the inside of her lips. “This is what you want, right? This is what you meant?”

Korra winced and grabbed the arm that was holding her hair like a vice. “It’s not  _ for  _ me. It’s for you.”

“Don’t lie to me. Admit it. You want this just as much as I seemingly need it.”

Korra scowled and broke free, reversing her hold and slamming Asami up against the wall, holding her arms above her head. “Fine. If that’s how you want it, then that’s how it’ll be,” she said, her breathing just a tad heavy. “Here’s what’s gonna happen…” She slipped her hand down Asami’s pants and curled her finger inside, pumping. Hard. “Neither of us is going to stop until both of us has either gotten it out of their system…” She brushed her thumb over her clit, and Asami flinched against her. “Or until it becomes too much. Okay?”

Asami struggled in Korra’s grip, half gasping for air between her intense flashes of desire to continue screaming in her face. “Shut up.” She raised her head, glared into her eyes and flashed her teeth. “And fuck me.”

Korra kissed her again and pulled off Asami’s top, forcing her to stay on the wall as she slid another finger inside of her. She unhooked her bra and Asami managed to slip out of it, digging her nails into Korra’s shoulders as she was pushed further along. Asami gasped and grit her teeth as Korra pulled out, leaving her on edge as she tossed Asami’s boots and pants across the room. 

Asami reached over Korra’s shoulders and dragged her top halfway up before being slammed back into the wall, Korra’s lips on her breast and her hand back to fucking her, her thumb paying far more attention to her clit this time. She struggled against her, managing to remove the rest of her shirt and snapping her bindings, the tight cloth bunching under Korra’s boots. 

Korra slid down her stomach and buried her mouth between her legs, her hands quickly unfastening her belt as Asami tensed, latching onto as much of her hair as possible, the muscles in her arms burning as her hips snapped forward. After a few more seconds, she came, everything spasming as she doubled over Korra, the rage shifting out of her belly and...into everything else. 

She held Korra in place as she rode it out, getting more and more worked up, and started to sweat from head to toe. She tugged on Korra’s hair, who looked up at her. “More,” growled Asami, her breath hitching as her hands settled back down on Korra’s shoulders. “Please.”

Korra picked Asami up at the waist and kissed her again, Asami wrapping her legs around her to keep balance and digging her fingers into Korra’s back, leaving shallow scratch marks as she was carried over to her desk. Korra kicked off her boots and settled Asami down at the edge of the wood.

Asami gasped and fell back on her hands, scratching Korra’s sides as she lost her grip from her wrist thrusting into her again, the intensity building and building. She forced herself upright with a heavy grunt and started to suck on Korra’s breast, her hand twisting on the other nipple. Korra winced and drove her fingers in more, curling upward as sweat began dripping down her neck and back. 

Asami froze in place, coming again, biting down harder on Korra’s already swollen breast and grasping at her arm as she started to shudder. But Korra didn’t stop. Asami let go of her again, trembling as another orgasm hit her even faster, and fell fully on to her back, losing her grip on Korra completely. She grabbed on to the table itself and couldn’t stop her back from arching, biting down on her lip and shutting her eyes as Korra labored above her, her own breathing uneven. 

“More,” wheezed Asami, her eyes still clenched shut, drenched in sweat. Her throat was dry, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t done. “Please, just---more.” She whined as Korra’s hand left her, only for her to climb on top of her and rolling her hips, grinding her thigh between Asami’s legs. 

Asami opened her eyes for only a moment, just long enough to make sure Korra was taking care of herself too, before pulling her down into a deep, sloppy kiss. Korra picked up her pace, and it didn’t take long for her to come, only keeping herself going longer so Asami did too. 

After a few moments, Korra broke away and slowly slid off of her, stumbling a little as her feet touched the ground. She extended her hand to Asami, still out of breath, and Asami pulled herself up to sitting just a little too fast. She lost her balance and fell into Korra’s arms, her body burning and completely drained. Korra carefully lowered her down to the ground, resting her back up against the desk, and sat down beside her.

Asami tried to catch her breath, her heart pounding in her chest. “You were right.” She rested her head on Korra’s shoulder. “Much smarter.”

“Told you.” Korra rested her arm up on her knee. “You  _ really  _ needed that.”

Asami nodded and closed her eyes, dozing off to sleep. 

 

* * *

 

Korra looked over at Asami, her chest rising and falling regularly, and tucked her hair behind her ear. Sex like that wasn’t really what she preferred. In any capacity. But, some people needed it, and it wasn’t difficult to figure out that Asami was one of those people. 

And if that was what she needed sometimes, then it wasn’t a big deal. It’d only become a problem if that was the  _ only  _ way they were intimate, but that seemed extremely unlikely.  

Korra took a few more moments for her breathing to calm before scooping Asami up and setting her down on her office couch. She propped a pillow under her head, pulled a blanket over her, and started folding her discarded clothes on the sidetable. 

“Okay,” she whispered, wiping sweat off of her brow. “Now what?” She pulled her pants and top back on, not even bothering with her underwear, and stared lazily at the office door. Asami wouldn’t be asleep for long; not after all that she’d had to drink.

She’d need to pee. Probably want to talk about all that.  

“I’ll need some tea,” she mumbled, making her way out of the office. She walked down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen, avoiding the curious gazes of Mako and Bolin’s family who had apparently not heard anything. She boiled some water, steeped the tea, and all the rest. It was a little difficult to focus when her mind was wandering back to that...whole thing.  

Stupid Raiko.  It was all his fault.  Sort of.

Korra grumbled as she climbed the stairs with tray. She opened the door to Asami's office with her shoulder, tea tray in both hands, to the sound of ruffling papers. Asami was sitting at her desk, mostly clothed and mostly dried off, sorting through documents with a tired expression. There was a bottle of whiskey next to her, along with a mostly empty glass.

"Jasmine.  My favorite," mumbled Asami.  She didn't look up at her. "First you go behind my back, then you fuck the fight out of me, and only now do you remember how to be conscientious. How very thoughtful of you."

"Just because you're enraged beyond words doesn't mean I'm not going to pick you up when you fall."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah." She set the tray down on the table and poured her a cup.  "Always will. I literally did just before you dozed off."

“So you did.” Asami stared at her for a moment. “I don't want any tea. Whiskey is fine."

Korra briefly considered taking it from her, but decided against it. She had calmed down quite a bit already. There was no point in ruining that.  "Fine.  I'll save some just in case you change your mind."

"Doubtful.  And don't try to distract me. I'm still furious with you."

Korra raised a brow. "You don't sound too angry."

Asami slammed her papers down on her desk and gave her one of the most terrifying glares of her life. Her eyes weren't just hiding flames; they were on fire. She didn't break eye contact as she knocked back the rest of her glass. "I am. It wasn’t difficult to remember why."

"I can...see that now," she said, pouring her own glass of tea. She sat down on the couch and took a sip.

Asami scowled and returned to her papers. "And you? Why aren't you angry? You were right. I...lost control."

"And I stopped you before you went too far." Korra shrugged. "Like I said, I've been there before, so I can't really be angry at you for it. Sometimes it's the only way to let it out."

"That's hardly an excuse. I tried to take my anger out on you.”

“But you didn’t. That was a lot of anger, though."

"It was. Is."

"Anger because I hurt you."

"A significant part of it, yes."

"Then it sounds like you were just trying to make us even, then. And vent some pent up rage. Well, initially, at least."

Asami pinched her brow. "That is  _not_  how pain works, Korra."

"Pain is pain." Korra rested her arms on her thighs. "Look, I hurt you, you got angry, then I got angry because you refuse to see another side to this, and I get why. Then you got angrier since you're not willing to even listen to the _why_ I did this..." Korra huffed. "Asami, if anyone asks, I did not tell you Kuvira was going to be 'working' for the United Republic. Or that me visiting her was in any way related to that. I was not supposed to tell you, or anyone, that at all, but...well, you ran into me at the prison and…" She sighed. "I couldn't exactly keep it from you then."

"Then why not just tell me the rest now?"

"Because the less you know the better. It's a...risky situation right now, but it won't be forever. Once things have cooled off, you'll get the full story. And since this is how you reacted---" Korra shrugged. "You can see why I'd be more careful. Look, I don't like this. I hate this. But just because I hate it, doesn't mean I'm not going to do it if it's the best option for everyone. And it is. It might hurt now, but in the long run I _did_ have your feelings in mind. I still do."

Asami frowned. "Fine. Whatever. It's not like it changes how  _furious_ I am with you. Feel like talking?"

"We may as well. I've got nothing better to do."

"Oh. Good." She cleared her throat. "Remember when Mako stabbed you in the back and told Raiko about our plan to get General Iroh to support the Southern Water Tribe during the civil war?"

"Wow, you're going to jump  _straight_  to that?"

"You were out of the room. I had time to organize my thoughts."

"Figures." Korra frowned. "Yes. I remember.  _Why_  are we talking about this?"

"How did that make you feel?"

"What kind of question is that?! I felt betrayed! Like he'd stabbed me in the back." She blinked. "Okay, this is  _not_ the same thing."

Asami looked at her, unamused. "Why? Because my family is  _already_ dead? Because your cause is more just than my closure? Because of some  _mystery_ reason?"

"I  _didn't_ betray you. It only  _looks_ like I did, and okay that sounds even worse." Korra sighed. "It didn't _start_ this way, but yes, fine, I went behind your back. And I hated doing that, but we'd be having the same conversation even if I didn't. Maybe not as heated, but I knew you'd take this personally."

Asami grabbed a small letter off of her desk and began folding it. "There isn't another way for me to react. I'm not going to just roll over and accept everything you do as being right on the sole fact that  _you're the Avatar_. That's not how life works. That's not how  _we_ work." She finished folding her letter, which was now a paper airplane, and set it down. "Okay, Mako was a bad example."

"You think?"

"Consider this." Asami flattened her lips and leaned over her desk. "What if Zaheer actually  _did_ murder your father, right in front of you, and then I start visiting him in prison? I tell you that he's repented and a new man, and he's going to be set free to help clean up the mess he made. How would you feel?"

Korra clenched her teeth. "Like screaming my lungs out at you for even suggesting such a thing." She balled her hands into fists. "It's not the same thing, though! Kuvira  _surrendered._  I talked her down, and she's---look, she's not a monster.  She's a horrible person, but she's not Zaheer."

Asami groaned. "They're principally the same situation."

"No, they're really not! Zaheer wanted to destroy everything, Kuvira actually  _wanted_ to help. She did help, when I couldn't. And she _still_ wants to help. That's a huge difference!"

Asami smacked her forehead. "Damnit, Korra! We're not talking about this on a geopolitical level! It's about  _me._ This is  _personal_! My dad was murdered. The woman you're befriending killed him. Doesn't that seem wrong to you? At all?"

"I really try not to think about it like that." Korra covered her face with her hands. "I can't  _afford_ to think small like that with things like this, Asami. I'm the Avatar. It comes with the job. If I start letting everything get to me personally, it'd break me."

"And you expect me to live like that? Always thinking of the bigger picture? I think about it a lot, but not when the small stuff matters, and  _this isn't small stuff."_

"I know that, okay, but for everyone else it _is_ small!  That's just how it is.  I'm sorry, I am, but it's something that I've gotta accept and work with."

"Okay, you know what?" Asami grumbled and threw her paper airplane at her. Perfectly. "Read it. Maybe  _that_ will help you understand what I've lost. Maybe you just need some more context!"

"Fine." Korra snatched the letter out of the air and carefully unfolded it. "This is…" The date was more than four years ago.

_Asami,_

_I hope you are happy with the choices you've made. Now, benders have taken both your mother and I from your life, thanks in no small part to you and your perverse, misguided notions of morality and justice. This is my fault, of course. I should have raised you better._

Korra looked up at Asami. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Read."

So she did.

_I should have been more attentive, and made sure you stayed away from the corrupting influence of the benders who live in this city. I should have brought you into the movement from the very beginning. Perhaps you would have learned the meaning of family if I'd done that, instead of discarding it when I offered you a chance to change the world for the better._

_Yet you chose to stand by that firebender, who decided not to stand by you in turn. That is the feeling of betrayal. A small one, but a betrayal all the same. Hold on to that feeling. Remember it. It's what you did to me, it's what he did to you, and it will be what the rest of your so-called friends do given the chance. They will use you and exploit your kindness until you are nothing more than a shadow of your former self. A husk where a woman used to be._

Korra looked away from the letter and wiped away the brewing tears from her eyes. "...this hurts so much more. After getting to know him. And, wow...some of that sort of happened." She felt a stabbing pain in her chest, far stronger than she would have ever expected. Yet, it felt...right. As if she  _should_ be feeling it. Maybe it was her eternal desire to empathize with everyone, but...that wouldn't be fair to Asami.

Asami released a heavy sigh. "I know."

_The daughter I raised would not have succumbed to this detestable temptation. The daughter I protected for twelve years would not have turned against me in our own home. The daughter I raised would never ally herself with the Avatar; the world's greatest example of inequality._

_You have destroyed nearly thirty years of work in a manner of months. Future Industries will fall, and you with it. You will lose everything, just as I have. And since you had the wisdom to throw away the only person left in this world who truly loved you, there will be no one to help you when you are at your lowest point._

_You are unworthy of the Sato name. You are not my daughter._

_Hiroshi Sato_

Korra carefully placed the letter on the table and closed her eyes. "How many more of those are there?"

"Like those? Six, though he never mailed them. I'm not sure why. After that, he gets progressively more apologetic and repentant. It took him eight letters to finally sign them 'Dad'."

"Why haven't you  _burned_ them?"

Asami shook her head. "I can't. Despite all of the hatred and rage, it's more than I ever had to help me remember my mother." She stared off into space. "There was a point where I couldn't recall what she looked like; in my head. Sure, we have pictures but it's not the same as a memory. No mover cameras back then, so, what she sounded like is almost lost to time. I must have been twelve. Dad took me aside and handed me a record. He didn't say what it was, but he insisted that I listen to it."

Korra furrowed her brow. "You...I didn't see that in the tree."

Asami shrugged. "It skipped over  _a lot_ of things, and most of it wasn't my doing. I don't think it was meant to be used that way."

"You're probably right. What was on the record?"

"It was this thirty second recording, apparently a full seven minutes were scratched off, but it was enough." She smiled sadly. "She was singing."

"Your mom was a  _terrible_ singer."

Asami snorted. "I know, but it was enough." She massaged her temples. "I...have not been mourning well." She took a deep breath. "I treated him like he was dead before, and I got through that alone.  I didn't need any help.  Somehow, the second time is so much more difficult."

"Maybe it's because you  _do_ have someone to help you this time. It might make it more...real, I guess."

"Maybe. It's rare that my anger manifests as, well,  _real_ anger. It's normally just productivity and energy. I haven't lost my temper in...a  _very_ long time. At least, not in a way that was palpable or violent." Asami shot her a threatening look. "But that doesn't mean that this is okay. It's not."

Korra frowned. "I doubt either of us are going to change our minds on this. That letter just made me feel terrible. Didn't really change my outlook." She screwed up her face. "Wait a minute. Asami, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're letting your emotions get the better of you."

Asami raised a very unamused brow. "Oh. How surprising. It's not like my anger and grief is  _unwarranted_ or anything like that." She sighed. "Why are you so  _invested_ in Kuvira, anyway?"

"I would have thought, if anyone could see it, it'd be you." Korra bowed her head and took a shallow breath. "...you really don't know? "

"No. That's why I asked."

"She's me, Asami. She's me if I fell a little too far. If I grew up angry. If I didn't have anyone around who loved me." She gazed up at Asami with a terrified look in her eyes. "She's a living,  _breathing,_ example of what happens if I lose control, okay? If I ever lost sight of who I was, and where the line is."

Asami was silent for a long moment. "You think that if you help her redeem herself, you'll prove to yourself that you won't make the same mistakes."

"Yeah, I guess."

"So it  _is_ personal for you."

"Don't turn this around on me! It's the best choice we have! This is the only way to move forward!"

"You don't  _even know_ if that's true or not!"

"No, but I know it in my gut, and it makes perfect sense politically!"

Asami frowned. "I don't care about the politics, Korra! This is about you and me, nothing else. Look, I may not be able to stop this from happening, but you're still…" She pinched her brow. "Do you even  _like_ her?"

"Of course not! At most, I'll tolerate her. And really, once she's done her job, we don't have to be in the same room ever again, so it doesn't matter! How could I possibly  _like_ her? She killed your dad and  _tried_ to kill us!"

Asami's entire face twitched and fell straight onto her desk. " _WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT EARLIER!?"_

Korra jumped up to her feet and matched her intensity. " _OBVIOUSLY,_ I ASSUMED YOU KNEW THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN  _LIKING SOMEBODY_ AND WANTING TO SEE THEM BETTER THEMSELVES FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE WORLD!"

Asami massaged her temples. "No, that wasn't clear at all!"

"Oh, well, then I'm sorry! For not...explaining that very well."

"It's...fine, I guess." She closed her eyes for a long moment. "I feel  _a lot_ better knowing that you're not actually friends with her."

Korra sat back down on the couch. "That's good."

"Yes. I no longer feel like there's a giant knife in my back. Now it's a slightly smaller knife, so that's progress. I still don't approve of what you're doing, even if I understand the reasoning behind it. Her...'working' for the government. I'm assuming it's some form of community service, or face execution?"

"I can't tell you that."

_"Korra."_

"I  _promise_  to explain all of this the second I can."

"Okay. All right. Was she going to be executed, originally?"

"If it had ever gone to trial, and assuming she was found guilty---to be honest I have no idea. She can only help if she's alive. Besides, killing her makes her an even bigger symbol for her loyalists."

"Then my assumption was correct. No, don't say anything. Seriously, don't. I'll never be okay with this." She sighed. "But, at least I understand...your larger reasoning. And the smaller one."

"Yeah." Korra stared at her boots. "I feel like that's enough. I get why you feel this way, even if it's going to make things a lot harder for big picture stuff down the line. But I get it, and that's...I think that's the most important part."

Asami nodded slowly. "I...suppose that's true." She reorganized some of the papers on her desk.

For a few minutes, they simply sat in silence. It wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable either.

Asami cleared her throat. "...so you really think Magnobird is better than Satohawk?"

"Actually, Satohawk is kind of growing on me. It sounds intimidating."

"That was the idea, so, I guess it worked."

Korra lied down on the couch. "Hey, know what your next project should be?"

"I do." Asami scribbled a few things down. "An underwater train connecting the United Republic to the Fire Nation."

"That sounds  _awesome."_

"I know. I'm really excited about it. What was your idea?"

Korra shrugged. "It...wasn't as innovative. I was just going to say you should try and make some...chi boosting suit thing, but it sounds ridiculous saying it out loud."

Asami laughed once. "No, no. I actually already tried that one. Didn't end too well. Mako lit himself on fire, Chief Beifong tore up a city block, I could have sworn I told you this story."

"It was in the postscript of one of your letters. I laughed so hard I cried."

Asami snorted. "Yeah. That was an interesting six months."

Korra hummed. "So, if the…"

"Bending Booster Suit."

"Thanks. If the Bending Booster Suit is off the table, what about...some sort of smaller mecha-suit? Like the VarriMechs, but more compact."

"Huh." Asami narrowed her eyes. "How compact are you thinking?"

"I guess only a little bigger than regular body armor? Sort of like the RCPD metalbender uniform, but thicker and with more...things."

"Is this something for benders, or non-benders?"

Korra looked up and shrugged. "Can't it be both?"

Asami tapped the tip of her pen against her lips. "...there's no reason it  _can't,_ I suppose. Though finding an appropriate power source will be a problem, not to mention the logistics involved in wiring such a thing so it doesn't electrocute you…" she said, trailing off into rapid fire mumbling and sketching.

"Uhhh, Asami?"

"Hm?"

"Are you actually designing this thing?"

"I am."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Yes."

"Okay. If I fall asleep on the couch it's because I'm tired, not because I'm bored."

"I know, but, before you do, or might...could you..."

"Warm up the tea for you?"

"Yeah."

"Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **REVISION #2407 5/15/2017** : Heh. This one. So, so, so many revisions. Always in the back of my mind, always being tweaked and slapped with band-aids. 
> 
> The chapter that launched a dozen anxiety and panic attacks. I was already in a pretty bad place emotionally when I posted it, and clearly I was coming from a place of privilege and lacked full understanding of what I had written (even though I discussed this with my beta about this specific concern) but hey, looks like your old pal Progman managed to make Korrasami abusive, much to the delight of the Anti crowd. Originally there was a brawl in this chapter, and it was---you know what, the reasoning doesn't fucking matter. It was stupid, and that guilt haunted me for literal years because hooboy was I called some pretty horrible things over on FF.net. I wasn't seeing anyone at the time romantically, but everyone seemed so convinced that I was not only straight (nope!) but that I was raping my non-existent girlfriend. That I beat people. 
> 
> That I was the scum of the earth. To this day, I feel like this fic would have had better reception overall if I hadn't been such a fucking idiot and just wrote some meh angry sex since that was ALWAYS what made the most since. But I had a rule that was making less and less sense as time went on, and that was to make sure the spirit of the show remained intact: TV-Y7. Which makes no goddamn sense because the SPIRIT of the show had nothing to do with the rating; it was about CONTENT and THEMES and CHARACTERS. I still feel a little guilty about how much I initially fucked up here, but in the end it all works now. I hope. 
> 
> Also, why Korra couldn't tell Asami never made sense. Ideally the revisions for Chapters 4, 5 and 8 are completed by the time you're reading this, so you'll never know what the fuck I'm talking about. As much praise as this story got, there were some beats that were about as stupid as stupid could get. Ugh. At least it got better with time. Well, I like to think it did.
> 
>   **ORIGINAL NOTES:** I've never had to write angst or...really anything like this before. It needed to be irrational, circular, and just plain angry at times, as that's...well, that's how couples fight. And sometimes things just aren't resolved or fixed. It ain't all sunshine and roses. Nothing ever is. As for the sex, well, y'all can thank ficsandmusings for double-checking all that. The complicated reasoning behind why Korra wasn't able to talk about Kuvira with Asami will be revealed in the next chapter, thankfully.
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated and encouraged. No matter how small, random, scathing or rambling your thoughts may be, I'd love to hear them.
> 
> For other words, ramblings, extra stuff, Asami Sato and/or Kate Kane fangirling and other assorted fun things you can follow me on tumblr at [progmanx.tumblr.com!](progmanx.tumblr.com)


	8. Rotunda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things in life are cyclical.
> 
> Asami is thankful for the things that aren't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by BSG-Legacy
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Four Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Early Winter, 175 A.G._

 

General Iroh contemplated his next move. The First Division of the United Forces had been slowly advancing east into ex-Empire territory since Kuvira's defeat, and they'd had their fair share of scuffles with well equipped fanatics and bandits.

A few bandit camps had even managed to stockpile spirit vines, which the United Forces were thankfully able to secure before they fell into the wrong hands.

The goal was to survey Ba Sing Se, and get a good read on the situation there, while also clearing a path for the rest of their forces to follow behind them. So far, they'd been able to march just past the Great Divide, which had been a logistical nightmare to cross with a full military division.

He stared down at his map of the former Earth Kingdom and tapped his finger on the landmark labeled 'The Serpent's Pass'. "This is where we start. We can bypass most of the mainland if we fly over the sea and have pathfinders secure a forward base for the rest of our forces. The Earth Empire didn't have a navy, so we shouldn't be detected by any holdouts. If we want to make it to Ba Sing Se in one piece, this is the way to do it." He looked up at his commanders, waiting for input. They all nodded. "If no one has any objections, we'll begin making preparations immediately."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sirs, but we've got a sandstorm coming our way."

Iroh looked out from his command tent to see one his scouts, a younger woman from the Fire Nation, sprint toward them. "Sandstorm? We're not in a desert." Far off in the distance behind the woman and beyond his camp was the single largest cyclone he'd ever seen. Bit by bit, it was getting larger. And closer. "What in the world…" He extended his open palm to the scout, and she handed him her telescope.

As Iroh walked through camp with the scout close behind, his soldiers began creeping out of each and every barracks. Slowly at first, a few at a time, but it very quickly turned into a crowd. All of them gaped at the peculiar sight.

Iroh extended the telescope and sighted the cyclone. It was at least two hundred feet in diameter and definitely composed of sand. The way it moved struck him as odd, though. Sandstorms didn't behave like tornadoes. Its shape was also oddly symmetrical, like a perfectly molded drill. Then, something clicked in the back of his mind.

Old, sage advice.

" _You know, I was in a similar situation once. My platoon had crawled through the desert with no water for a week, but when we finally located the only oasis for a hundred miles, it was surrounded by angry sandbenders. I realized our only chance to get to the water was to drop in from above."_

General Iroh increased the magnification and paled. "That's no sandstorm." He turned back to his men, conviction burning in his golden eyes. "We're under attack! Battalion commanders, form a defensive perimeter around the vines! Protect them at all costs!"

His soldiers scattered in a swift, orderly fashion. The combat alert horn began to blare throughout the camp and Iroh took another closer look at the source of the cyclone.

It took a considerable amount of willpower not to drop the telescope.

"Sandbenders, sir?" asked the scout.

"No. Just one."

* * *

"I think you're taking the term 'bath time' too literally, Korra."

Korra sat across from Asami in her luxurious marble bathtub. She smiled and raised a ball of water into the air, putting it into a controlled spin. "I disagree. Baths are a great time to practice waterbending, because the water is all around you." Korra wrinkled her nose.  "Well, not in a  _tub,_ but the steam baths back home.  The White Lotus had tubs for some reason, though."

"That's...not quite what I mean. Do you want me to get some bath toys for you? Honestly, I think I still have my old ones in the basement…"

"I don't know what qualifies as a bath toy." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Unless that's-"

"It's not a euphemism."

"Oh. Well, then is it a...doll or something?"

Asami shrugged. "Depends. When I was a kid, I used to always take my baths with a wooden turtle-duck."

Korra gaped into a wide smile. "That's  _adorable._ " She cocked her head toward behind her. "C'mere. I want to see if we can cuddle while I do this."

"You are ridiculous." Asami laughed heartily and shifted across the bath, resting her  _very_ warm and toned back against Korra's chest. "This doesn't really work as well without your arms around me, and before you suggest it, no water tentacles don't count." She hummed contently and closed her eyes. "Do you use your legs a lot in waterbending?"

"...not really, no."

Korra blinked.

"Wow. It took me this long to realize my dad said that just to  _get me in the tub_."

Asami chuckled. "It makes so much sense that you were the kind of toddler who  _hated_ baths."

"I didn't hate them. I just...there were better and cooler things to do!"

"Mhmm."

"Not a lot of games to play in the bath."

"Oh?" Asami turned herself around and looked up at her with eyes that were somehow still smokey despite the fact that  _there wasn't any makeup on them._ She placed one hand on Korra's stomach and cupped her cheek with the other. "I think I know of a game that might be fun..." she said, tracing lazy circles on her abdomen.

Korra blushed, but only a little. "What kind of game?"

"An endurance challenge. It's called 'How long can Korra keep the water in the air'?"

"...how do I play?"

Asami smirked. "Oh, you don't." She brought her lips right next to her ear. " _I do_."

"Ooohhkay, I like this idea."

"Korra! Raiko is holding an emergency-OH SORRY SORRY SORRY!"

Korra and Asami screamed as Jinora's blue spirit flickered to existence in front of them. In less than a second, Korra shifted the water she was bending into a cloud of thick fog, shielding them from Jinora's eyes.

"What the hell, Jinora?! Don't you know how to knock?!" yelled Korra.

"It's  _spirit projection!_ How am I supposed to knock if there's  _no door?!_ "

"I don't know! It's your technique, you figure it out!"

Asami sighed. "Guys, calm down. Jinora, you said something about an  _emergency_?"

"Yes! Raiko is holding an emergency meeting in his office  _right now_ and asked me to find you guys. Asami, you should bring your notes for the thing you're working on, whatever that is. Dad says it's  _really bad_ , but apparently he's not legally allowed to tell me more than that. So, get over there!"

Korra groaned. "Ugh! Fine! This had better be some huge crisis, or I am going to tear him a new one! Raiko, not your father."

"You  _want_ a crisis?" asked Asami.

"Well, no but...you get my point. Jinora? You still there?"

No response.

Korra reformed the fog into water and dropped it back into the tub. "Remote mood killing. The future of the Air Nation, right there."

Asami snorted. "I guess."

Korra furrowed a brow. "...wait. If it's an emergency meeting then…" She closed her eyes, placed her palm on the marble counter beside her, and took a deep breath. "Let me check something real quick."

"What are you doing?"

"Using spirit energy to spy on people."

* * *

Jinora opened her eyes, finding herself back in Raiko's office. She looked around the room and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable since Raiko, his bodyguards, Lin, Kuvira, Mako, Zhu Li, Varrick, and her father were all staring at her intently.

"Well, are they coming?" asked Raiko.

Jinora opened her mouth, but found she couldn't speak. Her entire head turned red.

Lin snickered into a loud bout of laughter. Mako looked at the ceiling with a badly hidden smile. Everyone else was baffled, and Jinora wasn't about to  _explain_ it. Instead she gave Raiko a silent nod.

"Good. Thank you for your help. Now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you leave."

Jinora got to her feet and began walking toward the door. Then, just as she was about to leave, Kuvira looked as if someone had kicked her in the back and stumbled forward.

"Odd," mumbled Kuvira.

* * *

"I was right." Korra frowned. "Kuvira's there.  _Finally._ "

"Finally?" Asami scowled.

Korra cleared her throat. "Uh, it well, since she's not in prison, it means that...things happened, and once I get Raiko's clearance…" She bit her lip. "I can explain everything."

"That was  _weeks_  ago." Asami stared at her for a few moments. "What the hell has Raiko been doing?"

"You know I can't answer that."

Asami huffed. "Okay. Fine. Let's just get this over with."

* * *

Asami bursted into Raiko's office with a folder in one hand and Korra in the other. "What's wrong? What's the emergency?"

Kuvira, who was thankfully on the  _other_ side of the room between Mako and Lin, didn't seem to be interested in her at all. Her eyes were solely on Korra. Well, that was lucky. The fallen dictator looked lethargic, and Asami felt a sense of morbid satisfaction in that.

Raiko motioned behind her. "Close the door."

Korra slammed the door shut. "There. What happened?"

"What I'm about to tell you, as well as everything said in this room, is classified top secret. Revealing this information to anyone who is not present, without my explicit permission, is a crime tantamount to high treason." He folded his arms behind his back. "Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded, even Kuvira.

"Good. Approximately seventy-two hours ago, General Iroh and the First Division of the United Forces were attacked just south of the Great Divide. They suffered minor casualties, but the Spirit Vines they'd been securing through their march to Ba Sing Se were stolen. They've only just now restored communications."

Asami's eyes widened. "Do we know who did it?"

"That's all we know so far, as that was General Iroh's preliminary report. We've been waiting for the two of you before he gets into more detail."

Korra looked around the room. "...but he's not here."

" _Well, not physically, but with the power of radio, I may as well be."_

"Oh. Right."

" _To answer your question, Miss Sato, we do not. As far as we can tell, we were overwhelmed by a single assailant."_

The entire room was silent.

" _...hello? Are you receiving me, Mister President?"_

"Yes, General, we were simply very...surprised that this was the act of a single person. Are you absolutely positive that is the case?"

" _Almost entirely. I'm putting this together from a few hundred reports but we're nearly certain it was only one bender. A master sandbender, considering he was able to create a massive sandstorm without any sort of body movement. I was able to catch a glimpse of him before they arrived at the camp, but I couldn't make out much more than the fact he was wearing a brown cloak and hood."_

Kuvira blanched and seemed to struggle in her bindings.

"Typical." Lin grumbled."Height, build, gender?"

" _Undetermined. The sandstorm made visibility almost non-existent."_

"Of course it did..." said Lin, pinching her brow.

Korra raised a brow. " _Sandbending_? Seriously?"

"Many of the techniques employed by sandbenders are quite similar to airbending," said Tenzin. "In theory, a skilled enough sandbender  _could_ mimic the abilities of an airbender in conjunction with regular earthbending."

Korra shrugged. "Well, that wouldn't be the craziest thing we've seen."

Varrick and Zhu Li exchanged a look. "Feel like I've heard this story before…" mused Varrick. "Don't think I wrote it, though."

"General, this may sound like an odd question, but were any of your armored vehicles destroyed by this person?" asked Kuvira.

" _...Mister President, may I ask why Kuvira is present?"_

Asami frowned. "I would also very much like to know that."

"As of today, Kuvira is acting as a special consultant to the United Republic on all things regarding her former Empire, re-stabilizing the Earth Kingdom, and Spirit Vine weaponry."

"What he  _means_ to say is that I'm here because I'm more useful alive than I am dead. If you want me to help you, at least be transparent. I'm also bound behind my back and chi-blocked, if that alleviates some of your concerns."

Asami tried  _very, very_ hard not to smile. Only Korra giving her a sidelong glance got her to stop.

"Watch your tone, Kuvira. You know how this works. One step out of line, and you're done. End of story."

Kuvira frowned. "You should remember that I am doing this voluntarily."

Tenzin sighed. "Please, everyone, can we focus on the matter at hand?  _Spirit Vines_ were stolen."

Varrick clapped his hands together. "Which is  _bad_ , in case anybody forgot that little fact. Really bad! As in,  _end of the world_ bad!"

"No one needed to be reminded of that," grumbled Mako.

" _I agree with Master Tenzin, and Varrick, I suppose. Though I have reservations with discussing confidential information-"_

Raiko pinched his brow. "General. Just answer Kuvira's question."

" _Yes sir. Two of our airships were shorn clean in half and several mecha-tanks were...well, they're gone. We're still finding bits and pieces around the area."_

Asami raised her brows, remembering how tough and sturdy the armor plating on the mecha-tanks she'd sold to the United Forces were. "That...shouldn't be possible. No bender could move sand fast enough in order shred the armor by  _sheer friction._ "

Kuvira furrowed her brow. "It shouldn't be possible, but it very much is. I've encountered this before."

" _When?"_ asked General Iroh, sounding a bit more urgent.

"Ba Sing Se. Three and a half years ago."

Varrick laughed once. "Oh, right! That time when Bolin lavabended the outer walls!"

"What?" Kuvira looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "What are you talking abou---"

* * *

Kuvira's fleet of airships flew over Ba Sing Se's outer wall. The walls began to shudder, and she held her gaze, refusing to blink. She wouldn't miss a single moment.

The great outer wall of Ba Sing Se splintered and slowly began to crumble from the bottom up. The hardened and now weakened earth, built centuries ago, was being ripped apart by her legions.

Kuvira narrowed her eyes and held her hands behind her back. There would be time for celebration later.

Her soldiers worked in tandem, grounding themselves as they pulled down the wall with more and more power. VarriMechs drilled into the melted foundation, shredding the rock into dirt. Her tanks blasted apart slab after slab of the wall, their superior firepower puncturing the ancient structure.

Finally, it had reached its tipping point. The wall wavered, shuddered, and collapsed in on itself in a massive cloud of dust and debris that echoed throughout the desert.

The wall had fallen and she could  _feel_ the sense of triumph radiating through her army.

Kuvira's lips twitched, granting her the slightest of smiles. She gave Bolin, who was still sitting in the jeep, a sidelong glance. "Excellent work. You've just made history."

Bolin shrugged and picked at his teeth. "It's what I do."

Baatar listened to his headset for a moment. "We have boots on the ground. General Yao's metalbenders have made a successful jump."

Colonel Shu marked a few spots on their tactical map, just inside of the wall. "Our first squad of VarriMechs have also advanced forward. Reporting...no resistance. Streets are clear."

Kuvira folded her arms behind her back. "Good. We continue as planned." She squinted as she saw a thin, light brown line flicker in and out of existence around Yao's airship. She looked over at Baatar. "Did you see that?"

Baatar nodded slowly. "I did." He tuned his radio and tapped his headset. "General Yao, we saw some sort of disturbance or presence in your airspace. Can you confirm on your end?"

" _We saw it too. Not sure what it...wait, hold on. Oh no."_

Kuvira quickly moved back to her radio and yanked it out of the jeep. "What? What's wrong?"

" _Ma'am, these buildings aren't made of rock. They're made of sand._ "

Colonel Shu raised a brow. "Why would they be made of-"

"Uh, guys? I think something's wrong," said Bolin.

Kuvira's first airship, a dreadnought in it's own right, was brutally torn to pieces by a dozen arcs of sand. It sliced through the engines and most of the hull, leaving black smoke in it's wake as the internal components slowly exploded. It began slowing down and teetering toward the ground.

"What just happened?!" barked Kuvira. "General Yao, respond!"

" _It's the Dai Li! I repeat, the Dai Li are on the front lines! I, they really tore the ship up bad, ma'am. There's no way I can keep her in the air. At...at least five city blocks are sand facades! When did they become sandbenders?! I don't think-"_

He was silenced by another barrage of sand arcs cracking through the airship, this time severing it in half and sending it crashing to the ground in flames. It crashed into the ground with enough force to kick up sand all back to her position.

Baatar was cycling through radio frequencies, getting panicked reports from the front line. "Kuvira, it's not just the airships." He'd gone through them quickly, but Kuvira had caught enough terrified screams to know something had gone horribly wrong. "Every squad who has entered the city is being torn to pieces. They're..." His eyes glazed over. "...flaying them with sand."

Colonel Shu shouted expletives the table as he scurried from radio switchboard to switchboard. "Every VarriMech and tank we've sent through the wall are reporting complete mechanical failures!"

She snatched a radio off of the command table. " _ALL DIVISIONS, FALL BACK! I REPEAT, FALL BACK! THIS IS A FULL TACTICAL RETREAT! DO NOT ADVANCE PAST THE WALL!"_ she yelled into the microphone, her heart beating in a panic. "Would someone like to explain to me how any of this is even possible?! Sandbending is a brutish, relatively  _useless_ form, so how exactly is it  _tearing my army to pieces?!_ "'

Baatar stuttered. "I-I have no idea how they're doing it."

Bolin's eyes could not have been more outside of his head. "Uh, this is bad.  _Really_ bad."

"I refuse to believe that was  _only_ sandbending." Kuvira furrowed her brow at the fallen wall, her jaw setting powerfully. The entirety of her army was making a tactical retreat. She saw two more airships get systematically torn apart by the wrath of the sand, causing even more high explosives to send shockwaves toward their position.

"My VarriMechs are made of pure platinum. They cannot be bent. They are equipped with the most advanced military weaponry in existence, and you're telling me that  _sandbenders_ beyond that wall were able to decimate my troops, destroy my airships,  _and_  disable my VarriMechs, as well as my tanks? No single weapon or bending art, with the exception of lightning and combustion, could possibly accomplish that feat."

She glared daggers at the wall.

"We would have  _heard_ the explosions of a combustion bender, and  _seen_ thelightning if that were the case. It cannot just be sand. I need another explanation. Now."

Bolin shook his head, frowning. "Well, if we assume they're earthbenders, which we should since, well, it's Ba Sing Se. Who else would defend it? Also since they're the Dai Li, so...yeah. Earthbenders."

He got out of the jeep and stood beside her.

"It's not lavabending, though that should be obvious. It  _can't_ be metalbending, and no form of basic earth could cause that much damage in such a short amount of time." Bolin shrugged. "If you're positive it's  _not_ sandbending, maybe they've got a powerful spirit in there."

Baatar and Shu eyed Bolin, unamused.

"Really? A spirit? That's your best idea?" said Shu.

"What? It could happen! I'm just saying we can't rule out a possibility because it sounds crazy. The last time I did that, there was a giant monster fight in Yue Bay. I thought it was  _impossible_ that Unalaq wanted to take over the world and had some kind of doomsday device in order to do it. Well, turns out,  _he actually did_!" He wiped off the sand from his uniform and hair. "I'm gonna be super happy to get out of this desert. Sand is just  _not_ fun to walk around in, and it gets everywhere!" He sighed. "The engineers for the airships and VarriMechs have had to work twice as hard since we started moving through the Si Wong. I feel bad for 'em."

Kuvira slowly turned to Bolin, the pieces falling into place. "Yes, that is unfortunate..." She inspected her own uniform to find little pockets of sand stuck against her. "They're not using sandbending as a hammer. They're using it as a  _blade._ By forcing sand into every little nook and cranny of our armor, airships and VarriMechs, they can tear the target apart from the inside!"

* * *

"Varrick," said Kuvira, raising her voice in frustration. "Bolin wasn't there, the timeline is completely wrong, the Si Wong Desert is separated by a  _sea_  from Ba Sing Se, we flew  _over the wall_  and were taken down by the Dai Li once we reached the upper ring. Why would we need to tear it down? We had airships." She grumbled. "And the VarriMechs didn't exist yet. You were there! How are you remembering this wrong?"

"I'm not  _remembering it wrong_ , I'm making it more entertaining." Varrick scoffed. "And this is why nobody likes  _your_  story. It's not dynamic or exciting! It's just sad and boring and dark! Gotta add some spice to it! Like  _lavabending!_ "

Asami raised a brow. It was certainly like Varrick to embellish his own tales, but those of someone else?  What was the point? "Bolin didn't even lavabend in the story you just told us. You...kind of implied it, but it wasn't there."

"Well, if I told you the  _whole_ story we'd be here all day."

"Okay kids, shut up." Lin covered her face with her hand. "Sandbending. Dai Li. Metalbending principles. Is that accurate, Kuvira?"

"Yes."

"And it wasn't just one person? It was a group of them?"

"That was something we never quite figured out. Once we'd rounded up the Dai Li for execution, we tried to discern which of them were sandbenders. They had caused the most destruction by far, but not a single one was among them."

Lin raised a brow. "...did you ever consider that they might have been  _lying_?"

"Of course. However, these sandbenders had the same capability as the one General Iroh described, so one by one, as they were put to death...not a single one resisted effectively. If they  _were_ the ones who'd nearly obliterated Ba Sing Se just to ensure we couldn't take it, they would have easily won against our very...minimalistic approach."

"You're sure you didn't miss a few?" asked Mako.

"I was  _very thorough_ ," she said, clenching her jaw.

"Good riddance…" said Lin.

Tenzin stroked his beard. "Normally, I would say it must have been the work of a large group of sandbenders, but then, what would that say about Yakone? Or Amon?" He hummed. "Yakone was able to bloodbend, in broad daylight, an entire courtroom simultaneously without moving a muscle. Including Avatar Aang. His son was able to sever a bender's connection to their element. If they were capable of such things individually, then it's entirely possible that you may have been facing one bender when you were searching for many."

Kuvira nodded. "I would not discount it, even it is the far more dangerous reality."

" _How did you manage to beat them the first time, Kuvira?"_

"I didn't. They simply stopped attacking once I'd secured half the city."

" _That sounds...odd."_

Raiko nodded. "It most certainly does. Almost as if it was planned."

" _Be that as it may, we have to focus on the more pressing matter. Someone is stockpiling spirit vines, and the United Forces is simply ineffective against that kind of weapon. I was informed a few weeks ago that there was research being done in how to combat this new threat."_

Asami cleared her throat. "Yes, that's true, General Iroh. Varrick, Zhu Li and I have been developing a sort of...let's call it an energy transfer device. I won't bore you with the details, but we've discovered that it's possible to not only diffuse the energy of a spirit vine weapon, but to eliminate the spirit vine entirely by a specific type of implosion."

" _Perfect. Is it ready?"_

"Unfortunately, no. We're still not quite to the testing phase, but I'm confident we'll get there."

"We should be able to begin testing within three weeks, sir," said Zhu Li.

Asami shot her a very confused look, which Zhu Li returned with a confident smile. Okay. Apparently Zhu Li had some new theories she had to discuss.

" _That's less than ideal, but it's better than what we had a minute ago."_

Raiko nodded. "Agreed. However, defending ourselves isn't our only priority. We also need to address the growing concern that vines are being smuggled out of the city. Chief Beifong, I believe you and Detective Mako have made progress on this?"

Lin sighed. "We found yet  _another_  series of secret tunnels that go far into the countryside that just happen to also be directly underneath high concentrations of Spirit Vines."

"They're the same tunnels that Wu made to help evacuate the remaining civilians during Kuvira's siege," added Mako. "We've already sealed them, and we're getting the local authorities to watch the exit for suspicious activity. However, we're not convinced that the trucks you guys managed to catch and this tunnel system are part of the same smuggling operation."

Korra narrowed her eyes. "Why's that?"

"Well, one's incredibly sloppy and the other isn't. Above ground transportation with poorly concealed cargo just screams amateur, and the Spirit Vines they were carrying were barely bundled together."

Lin nodded. "It sounds like Triad work, because, technically, it was. They were hired through  _several_ intermediaries, most of which were either very clearly murdered or vanished off the face of the planet. We have a few in custody, but they're small time, and the next guy above them isn't much different. We're going to keep digging, but in my opinion it's wasted effort. This is a  _very_ long trail, and whoever's behind this knows exactly what they're doing." She frowned. "Honestly, it would be more suspicious if these people  _weren't_ terrorists. And considering the destructive capabilities of these weapons…"

Korra shook her head. "Let's not say it's them until we actually know. It could just as easily be something else."

" _With all due respect, Avatar Korra, this motivation does sound like that of the Red Lotus. If they truly seek the destruction of government and society itself, this would be the most effective way to accomplish that goal."_

Tenzin nodded. "I have to agree with General Iroh. We must prepare for the worst."

Asami turned toward Korra. "They're right. It sounds like them."

Korra crossed her arms. "I know. I'd rather it didn't."

" _We all do. There's no telling where or when they'll strike, or even where they'd be keeping their vines._   _Well, no that's not strictly accurate. Kuvira, did you use all of your Spirit Vine stockpile in the construction of the Colossus?"_

"No. As I already stated in my official report, we overharvested by a significant margin. The vast majority of them were stored in the manufacturing facility just south of Zaofu, but I doubt they're still there. Twenty-five stories underground."

" _It can't hurt to check."_

"Knowing my loyalists, it absolutely could."

* * *

The emergency meeting had lasted another hour, and Asami wasn't sure why. They'd gone over the same information and analyzed it a dozen times, when really that wasn't their jobs at all. Once it was  _finally_ over, she and Korra hung back in Raiko's office. She was going to get to the bottom of that...weird and probably stupid 'betrayal' Korra couldn't talk about.

Korra crossed her arms. "Okay. Kuvira's out."

Raiko raised a brow. "Yes, I'm aware of that. Your point?"

Korra gestured frustratedly at Asami. "Take a wild guess!"

"Oh,  _that._ Well, Miss Sato, information regarding the details of Kuvira's partnership with the United Republic were deemed on a need-to-know basis." He turned to glare at Korra. "As it was a _matter of international security_."

"Okay." Asami pinched her brow. "Then, why, exactly, was Korra forbidden to tell me this?"

"As I just said, it was a matter of international security. Our plan needed to stay a secret for the time being. Having that leak to the press before it was already said and done would have been a PR nightmare."

"I wouldn't have said anything. I would have been beside myself with anger, which I currently am, but I wouldn't have said anything. I understand perfectly well what the consequences of that sort of leak would be. You  _know_ that." She frowned. "Riots, protests, large scale disarray all across the country. Oh, and lots of contention from the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation as well. Not to mention the innocents still in the former Earth Kingdom."

"I'm well aware.  _Avatar Korra_ was the one who suggested you be kept in the dark, as you would have taken it far too personally to keep quiet."

"I did  _not_ say that! I told you that I wanted to discuss it with her before I agreed to help you!" Korra scowled. "Because it  _is_ personal for  _her_ , and I didn't want to go behind her back!" She looked to Asami, worried. "I swear I didn't say that."

"Obviously. Don't you think I know that?" She turned to glare at Raiko. "Quit twisting her words. What did you say to her to keep her quiet? Because there's  _no way_ that was enough to do it."

Raiko pinched his brow. "Are you saying that she  _didn't_ tell you about this?"

"No. She did not," she said, lying far too easily. Not a trait she was proud of, but a useful skill at times.

"...the one time you actually do what I ask…"

Korra looked baffled. "You  _wanted_ me to… Wait a minute." She raised her palms in front of her. "You said that you'd be  _forced_ to take control of her company so that Future Industries would have to start developing weapons again! If I told her!" She groaned. "And she doesn't  _do that_ anymore, so of course I did what you said! If I told her, it'd be my fault she has to go back into that business!"

Raiko scowled. "Yes! Forced to do so because of the riots and this country entering a state of emergency! This is not theory; it is a constant threat! We need to be able to defend ourselves, and Spirit Vine weaponry is by far the most effective way to do so. The materials for making them are  _in my office._ " he said, pointing at the large spirit vine growing through his window. "And that's just the beginning. Miss Sato we are  _desperate_ for a leg-up against the Loyalists and---"

"Stop. Just stop." Asami couldn't decide whether to laugh or wring Raiko's neck for  _blackmailing the Avatar_. She imagined the latter  _very vividly,_ but chose the former due to it being...not illegal. So she laughed. Very hard. "You are a  _sick_ , twisted old man. Blackmailing the Avatar?" She glowered at him. "That's disgusting."

Raiko narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't appreciate your tone. And why are you  _laughing?_ "

Korra blinked. "Wait. Is this even about me?"

Asami shook her head. "No. It's not. Raiko just wants Spirit Vine weapons for the military, so he created a situation where that if word got out, the United Republic would  _need_ them, and he could probably spin the story that way, too. That way, he could sway public opinion and almost certainly force Future Industries down a path of his own design.  Because if I didn't cooperate, I'd be branded a terrorist sympathizer."

" _What?!"_ Korra's eye twitched. "I'm going to go wait by the car before I blow up this office." She airbent his door open and slammed it closed as she left.

Asami winced as she heard the unmistakable sound of Korra screaming down the hall.

Raiko hummed. "I'll probably have to replace that."

Asami smirked. "You're also going to have to replace your antiquated notions of backroom politics and manipulations, Mister President."

"Really. And why is that?"

Asami fished a business card out of her pocket and gently placed it in his hands. "Because Future Industries hasn't been legally based in the United Republic for  _almost three years._ "

He stared at the card. "The  _Fire Nation_? How did you..."

Asami laughed once. "I looked into the United Republic's new constitution and found that the government had the right to issue 'executive orders' to private companies during 'periods of great turmoil', which of course need to be validated by public demand, in order to 'ensure the posterity of the nation and the safety of the people'." She shrugged. "Obviously, that was a big red flag for myself and the entire legal division. We made the switch before you could try and pull anything like this."

Raiko crumbled her card in his hand and glared at her. "And what if war  _does_ break out? Or a series of devastating terrorist attacks? What then, Miss Sato? What if your company could  _prevent_ these things?"

Asami sighed. "It can't. Weapons don't prevent wars, they only instigate them. And if those things were to happen, well, then I'd have my integrity and the knowledge that nothing I built is being used to harm others."

"Unbelievable.  After everything that's happened these past few years..." Raiko shook his head and returned to his desk.  "We _will_ be attacked.  I'm just trying to protect my country!  Our country!"

"With lies, manipulation, and a twisted sense of justice, yes. I can see that."  Asami balled her hands into fists.  "I don't care what your 'greater good' is.  It's not worth it.  Nothing is worth that."

"And you truly believe that, don't you?" Raiko stared at her for a long moment. "I find your idealism ludicrous."  

"Close, but not an idealist.  _Optimist_."

"Oh, so you're only  _slightly_ delusional?"

Asami narrowed her eyes. "I'm done. I'm not playing these games with you. I'll send over reports when progress is made on the defense systems." She walked out the door and slammed it shut behind her. "And you just lost my vote! Again!"

* * *

"Why is it that every politician seems to be out to get me?" asked Korra, leaning against the passenger door of Asami's blue roadster.

Asami shrugged as she walked down the steps of the freshly refurbished City Hall. "They probably feel threatened since your name carries a level of weight and legitimacy they can never hope to achieve."

Korra smiled a little bit. "...okay, you know what? I can live with that." Then, she frowned. "Of course, all of that sneaking around was for  _nothing_. Now I feel even worse about it."

"Don't." Asami smiled kindly and shook her head. "And it was  _definitely_ not for nothing, as far as I'm concerned. You knew how much it would hurt me if I had to make weapons again." Asami wrapped her in a tight hug. " _Thank you._  You put my own self-worth, my integrity, above  _us._  You are selflessly insane and I'm  _so_ sorry for doubting you."

"Yeah, I can be...sorta crazy like that sometimes." Korra gave her a crooked grin. "It's okay. You had a pretty good reason to." She raised a brow. "...so are we okay, or…?"

Asami got in her car and turned on the ignition. "That depends on what we're talking about."

Korra hopped into the passenger seat. "The whole 'stabbing you in the back' thing."

"Korra, you didn't actually do that. You did the  _opposite._  So, yes, of course we're okay." Asami cleared her throat as she sent the car roaring off toward her office. "But not on the other thing."

"I didn't think so." Korra leaned against the side door and shrugged. "Yeah, well, I doubt we ever will be."

"At least she's all chained up and chi-blocked. I feel a little better after seeing that."

"You enjoyed that sight  _way_ too much. I think Mako noticed, because he was making that face he makes when he thinks you did something ridiculous."

"He has a  _lot_ of those faces."

"Hah. Yeah." Korra tapped her thighs. "You know what we should do now?"

"No, what?"

"We should...continue our game."

Asami sighed and turned down a sidestreet, merging in and out of traffic like she'd been born behind the wheel. Which wasn't too far off base. "As much as I'd enjoy that, we sort of have to deal with this whole... _spirit vine terrorism_ issue. Hopefully Zhu Li wasn't just bluffing back there, because we are not progressing as quickly as we need to be."

"Why don't you just see if you can get Baatar Jr. to help you on work release?"

Asami winced. "I tried that already. He, uh, actually wasn't able to replicate the generator after the first prototype. It just sort of...started working, and he doesn't know why."

Korra blinked. "Wow."

"Yeah…" She frowned. "I was able to track down one of the engineers who worked on the Colossus, though. I'm interviewing her as soon as she gets to the city. There was a stall on the political asylum paperwork, or something."

"Oh, right, yeah, you mentioned that this morning. I'm sure that'll go well."

"Let's hope."

Korra was silent for a few moments. "...how badly is the project going?" she asked quietly.

Asami's shoulders slumped in her seat and she let out a shaky breath. "Horribly. I just...we can't figure it out. We found out how to make the generator, but every design permutation we've tried doesn't transfer nearly enough energy  _back_ into the Spirit World. It just explodes. I try to make the  _opposite_ of a bomb, and I end up making an inefficient one." She gripped the steering wheel tighter as she made a hard turn. "I keep thinking it might have been a fluke. A one time only thing."

"It wasn't. You  _will_ figure it out."

"...dad would know how to fix this," whispered Asami involuntarily. She felt a sudden rush of pain in her chest and crushed it immediately with a small breath, burying the feeling with the rest of her irrational bursts of emotion. Her eyes stung and she blinked the redness away. "You're right. I'll find a way. I always have."

Korra frowned, concerned. "I know you're sick of hearing this, but are you sure you don't want to---"

"There's nothing to talk about, Korra. I did my grieving a long time ago. There's no sense in repeating it."

Korra hesitated, but then nodded. "Okay. I know his birthday is coming up. Do you want to do something for that?"

Asami shrugged. "I really hadn't put that much thought into it. I guess we could do what I did the first time."

"You mean when he went to jail."

"Yeah, but he was effectively dead to me. It's just a difference in semantics. Meaningless, really."

"Well, what did you do?"

"Nothing special. I sat next to my mother's gravestone and drew whatever came to mind."

"Like what?"

Asami huffed. "I don't know. I doubt I even have those sketchbooks anymore. I think I lost them during that home invasion. There was a lot of fire damage."

"Hey." Korra reached across the car and rubbed Asami's leg. "We can do that again."

"...you don't get vacation time, Korra. At least, not typically. I'd normally clear my whole day and just...sit."

"Well, this isn't a typical situation, then."

"Okay, but you don't have to stay with me the whole time. Something could happen, so you probably shouldn't."

"Too bad, 'cause I am."

Asami gave her a sidelong glance. "It's going to be really boring."

Korra smiled and shrugged. "Then I guess it'll be boring."

Asami flattened her lips and turned her eyes back to the road. "All right, then."

* * *

"...this might actually work, Zhu Li," said Asami, inspecting the highly detailed blueprint. "But I'm worried about the power dispersal that circles back through the vine circuit. I know the idea is the ensure that it retains its physical structure in our world, but if it radiates outward, where does the excess energy go?"

"Ideally? It'll shoot straight into the sky and fly off into space."

" _Ideally_?"

"There's always the chance that it could just explode."

Varrick shrugged. "There's always the chance that  _anything_ could just explode, but you can't let that slow you down. It's just part of being a  _scientist_."

Asami narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm an _engineer_."

"That too," he said, pointing at her with a screwdriver. "By the way, are we still getting that...uh, Zhu Li, what were we waiting for, again?"

"I believe Asami mentioned hiring one of the engineers who worked on the Colossus."

"Yes. That. Are we getting that?"

Asami massaged her temples. "I don't know. And it's an  _interview,_ not a job offer. Baatar spoke highly of her, but he basically built the most important part of the thing with dumb luck." She frowned. "It doesn't really fill me with confidence."

"I suppose it wouldn't, but then that's why I'm here in person," said an unfamiliar voice.

A taller, fit woman with a clear mix of both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation ancestry, if her dark amber eyes and tell-tale brows were any indication, stood just inside the doorway of Asami's personal workshop.

"Artana Kuze, I presume?" asked Asami, giving the newcomer a calculating look. She looked well into her thirties and had dark brown hair pulled back into a loose bun. She was dressed practically, with a blue-grey Earth Kingdom tattoos peeking out of her neckline, like she'd been welding and hadn't had time to change.

"You presume correct. I got here as soon as I could, but I was a little turned around by the trolley system. Have I come at a bad time?"

"No, simply the wrong place." Asami raised a brow. "I'm certainly not going to be conducting an interview in  _here._  It's not proper. Go back to the elevator and head down to the lobby. I'll be with you in around half an hour. My office is on the fortieth floor."

Artana gave her a short bow. "Of course. Sorry for the interruption." She spun on her heel and walked out the door.

"So  _that's_ the, uh, mecha lady?" asked Varrick, picking his teeth with the same screwdriver.

"Yes."

"She seems polite enough," said Zhu Li.

"She seems...oddly well built."

Zhu Li gave her a dead stare.

"Fair point. But manners aren't everything. Varrick is living proof of that."

"Normally, I'd dispute that with a well versed argument, but we really don't have that kind of time to waste. We've got  _terrorists_ to deal with!" Varrick looked between Zhu Li and Asami. "...look, just putting this out there. My thoughts. If this lady worked on the  _giant mechasuit_ , we have to give her a chance. I didn't work on the mechasuit. Zhu Li didn't work on the mechasuit.  _You_ didn't work on the mechasuit. We've got a wreck, but even then it's an intricate and almost incomprehensible piece of technology. She could have a  _manual_! For the mechasuit! Well, the  _generator_ , but you get the idea."

Asami sighed. "Fine. You...have a point, Varrick. And everyday that phrase somehow becomes easier to say."

"Told you I'd grow on yah!" he said with a wink and a smile.

* * *

Asami, now fully poised and presentable after a quick wardrobe change, sat at her desk, sketching new improvements for the Satohawk. Designing it to be modular, so that she could sell a universal production model to the public while still maintaining her own private custom work, had proved to be an increasingly complicated task. Which, of course, only motivated her more. It was a challenge that didn't involve anything but her own mental prowess, as opposed to all of her other projects.

Which mostly involved everything  _but_ her mental prowess. Because investors liked to whine, and the defense project was...mind numbingly frustrating.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Artana entered with a humble smile. "Thank you for taking the time to see me, Miss Sato."

Asami flattened her expression and gestured to the chairs in front of her. "Close the door and sit down."

Artana did as she was told. "I have what documentation I was able to recover from the rather...shattered remains of the Earth Empire, but unfortunately official records from Ba Sing Se University were-"

Asami slapped a Pai Sho board on to her desk and slid a box of game pieces beside it. "The guest has the first move."

Artana examined the board for a moment. "Your reputation as a tactician precedes you, Miss Sato." She looked up at her with a confident smirk. "I was almost positive that these rumors were completely fabricated." She carefully put each tile into place, most likely assuming that the set was very expensive.

It was not. Asami had bought it on a whim from a department store. Well, not a whim, but...on hope. Regardless, the nice boards were at home.

"Who do you think is  _encouraging_ those rumors? It's a Sato tradition. Whenever we hire a new high-level engineer, they have to prove that they can keep up with the rest of us. Documentation can be bought." Asami arranged her pieces with practiced precision. " _Skill_  cannot."

Artana rubbed her chin. She placed a white lotus tile in the corner of the board.

Asami raised a brow. Surely this woman wasn't...well, she had to find out. It was far too interesting an opportunity. "I see you favor the White Lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways."

Artana simply nodded. "Those who do can always find a friend."

Asami rested her chin on her hands. "...then let us play."

In less than a minute, they'd performed the traditional sequence perfectly, the both of them clacking their pieces to the board one after the other in rapid succession. Then, it stared up at them.

A lotus in bloom.

Asami chuckled in disbelief. "No one has  _ever_ tried that before. In fact, I've never met anyone who actually knew the historically accurate sequence."

Artana shrugged. "I've met plenty who know it. It might just be more common in the Earth Empire...Kingdom. Although that's hardly a demonstration of skill."

"Well, no, but I do appreciate it all the same. Not even the Avatar thinks fondly of the White Lotus these days."

"Wait, so they actually  _did_ lock her in a prison for most of her life? I thought that was just the tabloids making things up."

"Well…" Asami bobbed her head from side to side. "Yes and no. It's complicated, and not really that important. She got out."

"Fair enough." Artana hummed. "Do you know if they even still do this? With Pai Sho?"

Asami frowned. "I've met a lot of members, and not  _once_ have I seen them playing a single game."

Artana looked a little downtrodden, but not surprised. "That's a shame. I'd hoped that, at the very least, this tradition would have endured." She shrugged. "Ah, well. There's no sense clinging to the past. Things change, and new needs arise. The heroes of old aren't the legends of today, after all."

"That's for sure. I used to idolize them when I was a girl. Now? They're just not the same."

Artana smirked. "My sentiments exactly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Readers who are also fans of Ghost in the Shell: SAC are probably makin' this face right now: O_o
> 
> Initially, when first posting this chapter, I was very hesitant to introduce an OC, but the story I wanted to tell wasn't possible without one. No canon character existed that could fill the role. Hopefully you don't find Artana, y'know, lame like some OCs can be. Really tried to give her an introduction that stayed true to the show, and wasn't on the extremes of either "Everyone hates her instantly" or "Everyone loves her instantly". Or really any extreme. Just a competent engineer with a specific skill set. 
> 
> And, apparently, it worked, because willogbhy can't get enough of her:
> 
>    
> [](http://imgur.com/qodwkS0) 
> 
> Okay, so, there's a fun story behind the 'mover version' of Kuvira's story that Varrick tells in this chapter. That entire section is actually lifted from an earlier fic of mine, entitled "Sandstorm", that I wrote right before 4x03 "The Coronation", because I thought surely they didn't have time to address the fact that she took Ba Sing Se besides that little puzzle piece. But then 4x05 "Enemy at the Gates" happened and apparently she went to Ba Sing Se first. Stupid, stupid Kuvira. Largest city in the world, and you go in with maybe 200 metalbenders? Oh, she won. But it was a living nightmare.
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is appreciated/encouraged. No matter how small, random, scathing or rambling your thoughts may be, I'd love to hear' em.


	9. Volatile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has a breaking point. Few have someone to put them back together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, I wouldn't get used to me updating so quickly. This is a bit of a fluke. Once a week is the goal.
> 
> And here's some jaw-droppingly perfect fanart of Artana! By the excessively talented willogbhy, of course.
> 
>  
> 
> [](http://imgur.com/qodwkS0)  
> 
> 
>  
> 
> Beta'd by BSG-Legacy. Yay!
> 
>  
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Four Months, One Week after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Early Winter, 175 A.G._

Asami stared blankly at the fresh crater in the middle of her old racetrack. There were more than two thousand just like it, spaced equidistant from one another as to limit testing variables.

Test number twenty-five-zero-one.

Twenty-five-zero-one.

For the two-thousand five-hundred and first time, she had failed.

It always started well enough. They'd set up the device, get it running, place a spirit bomb right next to it and set the timer. The four of them would get clear and file into the Avatar-certified bunker. The bomb would go off in a flash of loud, purple light and, for around twenty seconds, the energy would be steadily re-routed back through the spirit vine. The spirit energy would swirl into the device like water down a drain until the metaphorical pipes were clogged.

Then, it would explode, leaving a big, stupid looking crater.

Asami did not have time for big, stupid craters.

Varrick placed his hands on his hips. "Well,  _that_ was hardly surprising. Guess making the energy go in a figure-eight doesn't work either. Maybe a pentagon next time?" He shrugged. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm starting to get sick of seeing things explode," he mused. "I know, it sounds impossible. Illogical, even! But it's the  _same purple boom_ every time, and I do sorta feel bad for blowing up all of this fancy road of yours, Asami."

Asami snapped her eyes to him, glaring lances of fire. "Are you  _mocking_ me? Mocking  _all of us_?" She frowned intensely. "What is wrong with you? We may as well have the fate of the world on our shoulders, and you're  _just standing there making a joke of all our hard work!"_

Varrick blinked twice. "Okay. In order: No, no, depends on who you ask, I'm fully aware of that, and also that's not what I'm doing!"

"Yes, you absolutely are! And I'm asking, and I think there's  _a lot_ wrong with you, and every day I seriously question why I even agreed to let you help me with this!"

"Then I'll remind you! We don't have  _time_ to not do this together!" Varrick flung his arms into the air and slammed his hands right on to the ceiling. He yelped in pain and shook them out, wincing. "And neither do I! Even with Zhu Li, there's no way I could have gotten this far this quickly without you! Also, the, uh, the...uhm..." He snapped his fingers and gestured toward a slightly bemused Artana.

Zhu Li continued to scribble data in her notebook. "Artana, dear."

"Thank you.  _Artana_! Also, thank you Artana."

Artana sighed. "We've been working together, side by side, often times literally, for  _two weeks_ and you still can't remember my name."

"Thank you  _and_ sorry?"

"Oh, fine. Think nothing of it and apology accepted." Artana snorted. "You know, your eccentricities aren't as charming as you think."

"Yes, they are," added Zhu Li, her tone somehow communicating both tenderness and finality. "Levity is just as important as progress."

Asami rubbed her temples took a heavy, frustrated breath. "It's  _not_ levity. He's just being obnoxious and insensitive. How are you even a scientist?! You act like some sort of circus clown!"

Varrick narrowed his eyes at her. "That's probably because I  _was_ a clown in a circus. A great one, too! Did a lot of acrobatics. Loved that the most. Well, that and the saber-tooth moose lion taming."

Artana slowly looked at Varrick. "How  _are_ you a scientist?"

"Trial and error, mostly."

Asami opened her mouth, felt logic and reason melt through the floor, and closed it again. For several moments, she considered wrestling Varrick to the ground and strangling him for his buffoonery and outright lunacy, but decided that he wasn't worth the energy. Especially since she'd have to fight Zhu Li, too. "I'm going to go set up the next one. Artana, you'll be assisting."

Artana nodded and the two of them climbed out of the observation bunker Korra had bent into the side of the hill. It wouldn't protect them from the explosion, but rather from debris. They picked up their equipment and began walking to the next designated testing area.

Asami frowned, and she didn't know why. "How are you settling in to Republic City, Artana?"

"About as well as to be expected. The shelter I'm living in is right on the edge of some silly sounding triad's territory, but it's not that much of a problem. I don't know who's idea it was to built a homeless shelter  _there_ , but they weren't thinking too clearly when making that decision."

Asami felt her head pound and grunted. " _I_ built those shelters, and it's not my damn fault that the triads keep changing their border lines. A few years ago those locations were nowhere near them, I assure you." Her mind came to screeching halt and she blinked. "Wait a minute, you've been  _living in a homeless shelter_?"

"A very well made one, but yes." Artana chuckled dryly. "Republic City is still recovering, Miss Sato. Real estate is almost impossible to come by, and when it is, it's  _far_ beyond what I can afford. Especially since the money I was paid in during Kuvira's reign was nullified…"

Asami set down her equipment at the site and began setting up the next design permutation of the generator. Reverse generator. Imploder. Whatever. "I was not aware of that." She looked up at Artana apologetically, who was methodically arming the spirit bomb like she'd done hundreds of times before. "Why didn't you tell me you had nowhere to go after I brought you into the country?"

"Miss Sato, you're my _boss_. That...would have been incredibly inappropriate. You have larger things,  _much_ larger things, to worry about than where I sleep." She gestured around the mostly exploded racetrack. "This, for example, is much more important."

Asami shook her head, remembering the few weeks she'd spent living in the shantytown beneath the city during the Equalist Uprising. And Mako and Bolin's childhood. Homelessness was not something to cast aside. It was why she  _built_ those shelters! "You're working with me everyday, respectfully ignoring all of the labor laws I'm breaking with the hours we've been putting in, which makes you a priority. I brought you here, I hired you, and I'm paying you a salary that...you can't even use…" She pinched her brow. "I'll fix this. I'll fix this before evening. I promise."

Artana put the finishing touches on the small spirit bomb, sans activating the timer, and offered her a small smile. "You really don't have to. It's fine. I'm no stranger to it."

Asami sighed and began fine-tuning the...imploder. How could she have been so short-sighted? Of  _course_ this would have been a problem. The fact that she'd had enough experience in it not to complain only made her feel that much worse. "No, I  _do_ have to. It would be wrong of me if I didn't." She activated the imploder and it hummed to life. "I'm not going to get into a moral debate with you on this, so don't even try. You're a citizen of the United Republic now, and you have a right to privacy and property." She rose to her feet, feeling more anger fester in her stomach. Anger at herself, at the triads. Angry at  _fate._

"Okay. I won't argue," she said, almost wistfully. "And...thank you. I really didn't expect this sort of kindness in Republic City. An amazing center of culture, yes, but not...well, this."

"Set the timer," she said curtly.

Artana nodded and did as she was told. The bomb started blinking and ticking. The two of them jogged back to the bunker and slipped inside.

Asami watched the testing zone intently. It had to work. By all forms of logic, Zhu Li's new design should work. Not flawlessly, as they still needed to figure out how to send _all_ the energy back, but redirecting it harmlessly into the sky was certainly progress.

And Asami needed progress.

The bomb exploded, as it always did, and the imploder instantly began consuming the energy that was released. Two seconds. Five seconds. Fifteen seconds.  _Thirty_ seconds. They'd already broken their record. The purple light swirled and crackled around the imploder, and Asami was about to slam her head against the concrete wall in anger but froze when she saw it...release the energy.

It didn't explode.

It  _didn't explode_.

It shot a giant purple beam into the sky and straight into space.

Asami's jaw dropped. "I… almost can't believe it. We sort of did it."

Varrick whooped louder than she'd ever heard him scream, which was saying a lot. He kissed Zhu Li straight on the lips and began spinning her around. "Of course we did! Who do you think you're dealing with, here?! Zhu Li, you just saved the the world!"

"Not quite yet, dear, but we're getting there," Zhu Li chuckled.

Artana just smiled extremely wide. "This is just the beginning, but we  _know_ it's possible now."

Asami was about to respond, but the phone line they'd hooked up in the bunker rang. She picked up the phone. It shouldn't have surprised her that Lin was on the other side.

" _Sato, was that you just now?!"_

Asami frowned. "Was  _what-"_

" _The giant purple beam of death that shot up into the sky!"_

"Yes."

" _Could you at least_ tell me  _the next time you're going to pull some crap like that? You just sent half the city into a panic! Which I now have to deal with!"_

Asami groaned. "Chief, I swear, we didn't even know it was going to  _work._ It's the first time anything actually has."

" _Oh, well then congratulations."_

"Thank you-"

" _But from now on if you don't inform me of your testing schedule, I'm going to drag you down here and have_ you  _answer the calls from a few hundred thousand frightened citizens!"_

"Sorry."

Once again, Lin hung up the phone so hard she could almost feel it.

"Who was that?" asked Varrick.

"Lin. Apparently we just sent half the city into a panic."

"Whoops."

"Yeah…"

"Heh, well, they can't blame me for once! I'm not in charge of this operation-"

Asami scowled and smacked him upside the head with her notebook.

"Shut up. Just  _shut up._ "

* * *

" _Air Temple Island, Avatar Korra speaking."_

Asami snorted into a laugh. Adorable.

" _Who is this? Kuvira? This isn't funny! Everytime you call you freak out Tenzin's kids! So stop calling!"_

Asami raised a brow. No longer adorable. "Korra. It's me."

" _Oh. Hey, Asami! Sorry about that, but, uh, yeah, somebody gave Kuvira a telephone line. And this number is listed publicly, so…"_

"Why does she keep calling?"

" _I don't know. I think she has it in her head that we're friends or something because I'm not actively hating her. Which is...sad, if you think about it. Well, okay, not sad for_ you,  _but you get...what I mean."_

"Yeah, I do. Did you see the giant purple beam?"

" _Yes. Please tell me that was you. Tenzin is this close sending the Air Nation into a state of alert."_

Asami winced. "That was me. Sorry!"

" _Nah, it's fine. No. Tenzin. Tenzin! It was Asami! Well, I'm on the phone with her right now. Yes! Actually, I don't know. Asami was that a...good purple beam or a bad one?"_

"A...good one? I guess?"

" _It's a good one! No, stop-I don't know, turn the ferries around or something. Airbend them back, or get some of the White Lotus waterbenders to do it! I'm on the phone, can you give me a little space? Thank you."_

"Is everything okay over there?"

" _Mostly. Some of the ferries are headed toward the island and they're filled with 'refugees'."_

Asami covered her face with her hand. "Oh no..."

" _It'll be fine! It's just a simple misunderstanding. Oh, and Naga says hi."_

A polar bear dog barked through the receiver. Asami smiled.

"Hello, Naga. How'd you get Tenzin to let her in the temple?"

" _She's not inside. Tenzin bought this super long extension cord for the telephone because he likes to walk around while he uses it, and it kept flying out of his hands."_

"Won't...someone trip on it?"

" _Hasn't happened yet, but there's a first time for everything. So, what's up?"_

"A few things. One was, well, we made a big leap forward in the defense project."

" _That's awesome! Except for the panic, but that'll get sorted out. Why does it involve Vaatu beams shooting into the sky, though?"_

"What? It's just spirit energy. Why did you think it was part of Vaatu?"

"' _Cause I got the same feeling I did when he used it on me during Harmonic Convergence. It's this sense of...detachment and chaos. It gives me the shivers. Oh, they also look exactly the same."_

"They do? I had no idea." Asami raised her brows into her hairline and immediately began taking notes. "Thank you for telling me that. That actually might help a lot. Why didn't you say something about the spirit cannon?"

" _We were pretty busy at the time, remember?"_

"Right."

" _Come on, tell me there's some good news besides the spirit vine thing! How's that new engineer working out? What was her name? Arta? Arya? Aya?"_

"Artana."

" _Right, Artana. Uhhh, so...I guess she helped?"_

"She's just as capable as Baatar said she was, if not more so. Polite and just generally pleasant. Honestly, she fits right in with the rest of the senior engineers on staff. It's pretty lucky."

" _That's great! With four people, you can get the job done faster! And better!"_

Asami chuckled. "That's the idea, yes. There is actually one problem regarding her, though, which I'm hoping you might be able to help me with"

" _Asami, if she's been trying to make a move, I_ swear _, I'm gonna shove her in Naga's mouth for a few minutes-"_

"No! No, no, not that at all."

" _Oh. That's good."_

"Korra, wow. That was...wow. Too far."

" _I don't think so. I did that to a judge once. It's how I found out my uncle was lying about everything."_

"Wait, really?"

" _Yeah, ran him off the road and shoved his head in Naga's jaw. Worked like a charm."_

"Huh. Well, I'll keep that in mind, I guess."

" _Go for it. So, this problem?"_

"Right. She's homeless."

" _I thought you were paying her."_

"I am, Korra. There's just no real estate she can afford She's been living in one of  _my_ shelters."

" _Woah. Weird."_

"That's not the half of it. Apparently, the Empire money she was paid in is no longer valid currency."

" _...okay, this is the first I'm hearing of Empire money being worth nothing. Tenzin! Did you know that Empire money isn't money anymore? Asami just told me. Well, she heard it from that engineer she brought in, so that's a pretty reliable source. Yeah, I know. I was thinking that, too. Yeah, Tenzin had no idea. He's going to look into that."_

"If Tenzin didn't know…"

" _It can't be good. Homelessness is also bad, though. How can I help?"_

"Well, I've been looking through real estate listings, and I can't find anything that isn't far too expensive for a 'special bonus' check to cover. I almost hate to ask this but-"

" _Tenzin! Can Asami's new engineer stay at the Air Temple? She's homeless because I guess there aren't any homes on the market. Okay. Tenzin says he trusts you, so she can stay."_

Asami smiled. "Thanks."

" _It's what I do. I mean, it's not that different from the time you came...to live...with us…Sorry."_

"It's okay. I was sort of thinking that, too..."

" _Do you want to talk about it?"_

Asami frowned. " _No,_ Korra. For the last time,  _there is nothing to talk about._ "

" _Okay. What's tomorrow, again?"_

"Thursday."

" _And what time is the sun setting tonight?"_

"I don't know. Around, 8:15, I think."

" _And how many violent daydreams have you had today?"_

"Twenty three." Asami blinked. " _..._ how did you do that."

" _It's a water tribe thing. You wouldn't get it."_

"No it isn't!"

" _Can you prove it's_ not?"

"No."

" _Then there you go. Twenty three isn't a healthy number, Asami. One isn't really a healthy number. Know what? That's it. I'm coming over there."_

"Korra, I don't have time for this. I'm very busy!"

" _No you're not. I'll be there in a bit."_

And then she hung up the phone. Asami threw it across the room and against the wall. It wedged itself into the plaster with a loud crack. She ran her fingers through her hair and groaned. How could she be so  _stubborn_!? She was  _fine._

Asami was fine.

She was fine.

FINE!

Asami didn't make any effort to leave her office. She knew Korra would just find her anyway. She waited, pacing around the room and kicking her table a few times. Eventually, Korra knocked on her window, the one with the spirit vine, and Asami  _briefly_ considered leaving her out there. Then she remembered that Korra could just break it if she wanted to, and slid the window open.

Korra hopped down into her office and tossed her glider on the couch. "I just flew across the bay and up forty stories. Are you  _sure_ you don't want to talk about anything?"

Asami frowned. "I'm  _fine._ "

Korra sighed. "No, you're really not. You really, really aren't. It's not just me, okay?" She put her hand on Asami's shoulder. "Bolin, Opal and Mako noticed it, too. Even  _Varrick_ asked me if something was wrong. Varrick. Let that sink in."

Asami narrowed her eyes. "I'm fine. I don't know what you think you're seeing, but it isn't there."

"You sure?"

" _Yes."_

Korra pointed to her phone that was lodged in the wall. Then she pointed to her almost barren bar. Then, the violently ripped papers that were scattered across her table. The dents in the table. The dents in her desk. The holes in her walls. The dents in the  _door._

"How about now?"

Asami rolled her eyes. "Okay, so I've been a  _little_ angrier than usual, lately. I'm stressed. Is it really that odd-"

Korra grabbed her wrists and shoved Asami's hands, no her  _fists_ with whitened knuckles, into her field of view. "You have been making fists at every little thing for months, and then hitting Varrick at basically every opportunity. You exploded that night at your estate and I don't even want to think about how far you'd have gone if I hadn't stopped you.  You  _laughed_ in the President's face after he  _blackmailed me."_

Asami sighed deeply and looked away. She leaned back against her desk and crossed her arms. "Are you done?"

Korra furrowed her brow. "Not even close. You have been walking around like you're going to  _snap_ at any moment for the last week and a half. I have never seen you this angry.  _No one_ has ever seen you this angry."

"Stop."

"Do you even realize how screwed up it is for you to have been  _happy_ to see Kuvira in the state she was in?" She frowned. "Bound and in pain, and you  _grinned._ "

Asami ground her teeth. " _Stop it."_

" _You're not okay, Asami._ You're holding on to all of this anger,  _still._ It's not making you stronger. It's toxic. You have to let it out. _"_

" _Stop this! Now!_ "

Korra looked at her desperately. " _Please._ Talk to me."

"I. Am.  _Fine."_ she growled.

"Look at yourself. Your fingers are actually making holes in your desk right now. Look!"

Asami didn't move her head, but her eyes flicked down to...the holes she was making. When did she start doing that? Well, it didn't matter. Irrelevant. " _There is nothing to talk about,_ " she seethed. "I'm fine!"

"You're fine. Okay. Sure." Korra violently ran her fingers through her hair. "You are literally shaking the desk!"

Asami looked down. She was.

"I can't help you if you won't tell me  _why_ you're angry. Let me  _be here for you, dammit!"_

Asami could only feel rage. In her stomach, in her back, in her arms, her legs, her chest, her neck. All of her. Enraged beyond recognition. Ready to snap, ready to...break. Break  _what?_

"Get. Out."

Korra shook her head defiantly.

"Get out."

"No."

" _Get out!"_

"Asami, I swear to you..."

" _GET OUT!"_

"There is  _nothing_ you can say to me right now that will make me leave your side."

Asami felt that festering bile rise from her stomach once more and poison flow from her mind to her tongue. She couldn't stop it, she couldn't move or do anything. Her hands were bleeding.  _"_ IF YOU DON'T LEAVE RIGHT NOW KORRA, I SWEAR, I WILL PUT YOU  _RIGHT BACK IN THAT WHEELCHAIR!"_

Asami slapped her palms over her mouth and instantly felt like death. She tasted copper. All of the color left her skin and her eyes shook in terror. Fear of herself. Fear of what was to come. Fear of  _what she'd just done to Korra._  She started shaking uncontrollably and doubled over.

Korra took a few slow steps away, and tears quickly came streaming down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, centered herself, and with a few very deep breaths...the tears went away. "I'm still here," she said quietly. "I'm not going to leave. I'm not going to die right after you let me in, okay? I'm not going anywhere. Not now, not ever."

Asami felt her stomach writhe. Once. Twice. She sprinted into her private bathroom, kicking down the door, and emptied everything into the toilet. She tried to keep her hair from getting into the bowl but...Korra was already kneeling beside her, keeping it out of the way. Holding her. She sobbed between bouts of her body cleansing itself, and she lost count how many times she lurched.

Eventually, Asami collapsed against her, having nothing left to give. She was drained. Drained just...of everything. She felt hollow. Before she knew what was happening, Korra had already waterbent her clean. Asami started breathing softly and closed her eyes.

"Are you okay to move?"

Asami nodded.

"Okay, here, let me help you up."

Asami carefully got to her feet, using Korra as a crutch and her face sunk as she saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked like...she didn't know. She didn't  _want_ to know. No color, her eyes lacking any vibrancy of life. There was no kindness. No generosity, no selfless and gentle air about her. No marks of intelligence or even comprehension. Just exhaustion and defeat.

"Do you want to lie down on the couch?"

Asami nodded and bit her lip. Her mind was  _urging_ her to say something. Anything. Apologize!  _APOLOGIZE!_

Korra helped her over to the couch and gently laid her down. She gently tucked some stray locks of her hair out of the way. "You're going to be okay." She kneeled down next to her and took her hand, entwining their fingers. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Asami slowly sat up and stared well past her feet into nothing. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm  _so, so_ sorry. I can't...I was so angry that I actually took that as a challenge." She frowned. "And I can't take it back."

"Don't think about that. You didn't mean it. I know you didn't, because I've  _been there_  before, remember?"

Asami searched her eyes. No. Korra  _couldn't_  lie. "The poison. I forgot how angry you were. Just...with me, though."

"You were the only one who understood I didn't mean anything I said, but couldn't stop."

"That was only two weeks. This has been... _months."_

"I thought if I gave you enough time and space, you'd figure it out on your own. I'm sorry I didn't...do something sooner. I'm sorry none of us did. We didn't know what to do. We tried to clear the path for you, but I guess that wasn't enough."

"...is this why everyone was going out of their way to do things for me? I never even questioned it."

"Yup. Bolin, Opal, Mako, Varrick, Zhu Li, and I all decided that if you were going to figure this out on your own, we'd be with you every step of the way. One of us would be around, no matter what. To pick you up when you fall."

Asami's eyes widened. " _Varrick_  wanted to...why?"

"I don't know, but he was all for it. Considering how much he put up with, he meant it."

Asami bowed her head. "He must hate me now.  _Zhu Li_  must hate me."

"No one hates you. But, I'm not going to lie. It's been painful. Not just for me. All of us. When someone you…" She bit her lip. "...care about is in this much pain, it hurts you too."

"I'm so sorry. I thought I could handle this. The spirit vines."

Korra smiled sadly. "That's not what this is about, Asami. You've got to accept that."

"What?" Asami sat up further. "What else is there?"

"Tomorrow." Korra frowned and wrapped her in tight hug, cupping her head over her shoulder. "It's  _tomorrow_ , and you forced yourself to forget. What you said to me? You can take it back by remembering. Right now."

Tomorrow.

Thursday.

Dad's birthday.

Asami shattered. Her entire body shook from the overwhelming surge of emotion, as she simply couldn't the stop the tears from pouring down her cheeks. She held Korra as tight as her she could, bawling her eyes out like a lost child. She didn't realize she'd stopped crying until her arms gave out. She let go, but Korra didn't, only holding her tighter. She'd stopped shaking and, slowly but surely, regained control of her breath. Asami felt cleansed. As if she'd just stepped out of a fifty pound suit of armor that had been slowly breaking her back. Breathing was simple. Seeing was simple. Everything was...somehow simpler. And the truth, well, that was simpler too.

"My dad died," she whispered.

"Yes. He did."

"He's dead. He's not coming back."

"I know. I'm sorry, I know."

"He's not in jail. There's no...tiny sliver of hope that he'll come back."

"No. There isn't."

"He saved my life. I was willing to die, and he...wouldn't let me."

"He couldn't. He loved you."

"Yes. In the end, he did." Asami closed her eyes. "...you can't grieve for someone if they're not dead."

"No. No, you can't."

"I can't skip over this. I can't do this alone."

"You don't have to. You're not alone. You have me and everyone else to help you through this."

Asami pulled back and looked into Korra's eyes. Understanding. Compassion.  _Empathy._ Why she'd fought it...it didn't matter. Korra had broken through, because no walls existed that could stop her. She smiled sadly. "I'm calling in sick tomorrow. Zhu Li is more than capable to take over for a day."

"I'll be with you. And as far as I'm concerned…" She waved her hand over Asami's head. "You are...absolved for that thing you said. Your Avatar wills it to be true."

Asami snorted and collapsed into Korra, exhausted.

* * *

"Yasuko Sato. 122 to 158 AG. Beloved wife, mother, daughter and...dancer. It looks like 'dancer' was etched in later."

Asami frowned. "I never found out why, but dad told the man who carved it to get rid of that part. I fixed it after he was convicted."

"Was it a big part of her life?"

"Not after I was born. She gave it up to be with me. That's a common thing, I suppose, but still...she was a professional. It's…" Asami chuckled dryly. "It's actually kind of funny. How they met."

"Oh?"

"You'd think it'd be at some fancy gala or charity event, right? Well, no. Mom was heading home for the evening, and then, heh,  _she_ nearly ran him over with her satomobile. She picked him up, dusted him off, felt so terrible about it that she asked him out to dinner…"

Korra's brows raised into her hairline. "You're kidding."

"I'm not. I'm really not. I...it was the same thing. I thought it  _could_ be the same thing. Well, obviously, true love at first sight doesn't happen in the same way twice, which is more than okay. Everything turned out well enough, in the end."

Korra kneeled down beside her and kissed her shoulder. "Tell me more."

Asami nodded. "Well, the craziest part was that my mom didn't even know who he was. She didn't have the slightest idea." Asami shook her head with a tiny, wistful smile. "It took her two months to realize that he'd  _invented_ the very thing she'd almost killed him with, and they were already a couple. Dad used to say that her hitting him with the satomobile wasn't the real miracle. It was that she learned to love him for  _who he was,_ not  _what he was_." She kneeled down in front of the grave and wiped off some of the dirt and dust.

"Why do you think he wanted this part removed?"

"I'll never know for sure, but...I think he might have done it for me. Compared to the other things on there, being a dancer isn't so important to a little girl's memory of her mother. Maybe he wanted to make it as clear as he could that she was  _family_ , and that was all that mattered." Asami sighed. "He had a tendency to overthink like that, after she died. I think he was terrified of raising me wrong."

"I don't think he could have done a better job, Asami. He may have forgotten that for a little while, but he did end up remembering."

Asami nodded slowly.

Korra inspected the gravestone. She brushed her thumb against the murky writing. "I can make this seamless. If you want."

"Earthbending?"

"Yeah."

Asami's expression softened. "I...I'd like that very much."

Korra slid her fingertips across the stone, recarving the lost words into the grave. "Dancer. I guess that explains why you're so graceful."

Asami smiled. "I guess it does."

Korra looked to the gravestone right beside it. "Hir-"

"No. I'll do it." Asami rose to her feet and shook her head. "Hiroshi Sato. 120 AG to 174 AG."

"...he didn't have a funeral."

"No one could come."

"I would. All of us would."

"For me. Not for him."

Korra looked away, and clearly had no response to that. "I couldn't help but notice your father's epitaph is blank."

"I didn't know what to put on it. I didn't even know if I wanted to have him buried next to mom. But, it was the right thing to do, even if I'm not quite sure my mother would have forgiven him, or that my father felt he deserved to be beside her again."

"I think it was the right thing to do." Korra ran her palm across Hiroshi's gravestone. "I can add something here, too. I'll need your words, though."

Asami closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In truth, she'd always known what to put there. She'd just never had the courage to do it. To say them. Make them real. "Beloved husband, father, son and inventor." She winced. "...and a quote."

Korra nodded for her to continue.

"Success is doing more for the world than the world does for you."

"That explains a lot…" Korra focused on the stone for a moment, and then there it was. Exactly the epitaph she'd wanted, in the same lettering as the one on her mother's. Sometimes, it was easy to forget how perceptive Korra was.

Asami stood silently for a long time, unsure of how to organize her thoughts. She kneeled down to her knees and bowed her head in front of his gravestone. Part of her wanted to break down and cry again, but somehow she felt that wasn't the best way to move forward. Not yet, at least.

" _I can't forgive myself for all the horrible things I've done. And I never expect you to forgive me. I tore our family apart, and destroyed our good name. But in a life of regret, you're the one thing I look back on that makes me smile. I just want you to know I'm so proud of you, Asami. You are the greatest thing I ever created."_

Asami pressed her palm on the stone and closed her eyes. "I love you, Dad," she whispered. "I---I forgive you…" She turned around and rested her back on his gravestone, wiping away the tears forming in her eyes. "I forgive you."

And that time, she truly meant it.

Korra sat down next to her, resting her back on her mother's tombstone. She took Asami's hand in hers and squeezed. "No sketching today?"

"I just want to... _be._  If that's okay."

"Today's about you, Asami. If it's okay with you, it's okay with me."

Asami closed her eyes and rested her head on Korra's shoulder. "Thank you."

 

* * *

 

"...because with larger aircraft, and a more powerful engine, it's entirely possible to out-do airships in terms of speed, efficiency and commercial use. Imagine if you could get on an airplane, with a bunch of other people, and fly to Omashu in a matter of hours. You land, you get out. You're in Omashu," said Asami as she opened the doors to her workshop, Artana in tow.

"That would certainly make traveling much faster, and simpler for the passengers. There's no such thing as air traffic, after all," said Artana.

Asami set her files down on her workbench and smiled. "Well, I'm not so sure about that. With enough airplanes in the air, it might become a problem. Again, thank you for accompanying me on the ferry. It's always a treat to bounce ideas off of fresh ears."

Artana shrugged and settled her cleanly organized papers next to Asami's. "Think nothing of it. We were coming from the same place, so it would have been rather odd of me to avoid you." She smiled just a little. "And, to be perfectly honest, you  _did_ just find me a home. Which is wonderful, as I'm sure I've mentioned a thousand times by now."

"I lived there for a few months myself. I know just how wonderful it is."

Artana nodded and was silent for a moment. "I don't mean to speak out of line, and let me know if I am-"

Asami snickered and held up her palm. "I'm not a tyrant, Artana. Just your boss. It's a free country. By all means, speak your mind. I wouldn't have hired you if you agreed with me on everything."

"No, that's not quite what I meant. Though, I do appreciate the reminder." She ran her fingers through her dark brown hair. "You're more approachable today. At ease. No less professional, of course, but more open."

Asami leaned against her workbench and took a deep breath. "It's that big a change, huh?"

"I haven't known you for very long, but from my perspective it's almost as if you're a different person. Almost."

"I guess it would look like that for you. My previous behavior, which I apologize for, was...I was not myself. Or, at least not completely. All you need to know, though, is that there's going to be a little less doom and gloom around here."

"That's very good to hear, Miss Sato."

" _Please, call me Hiroshi."_

"Please, call me Asami."

 

* * *

 

"Now, just so we're clear…" said General Iroh, holding his hand radio. "You're  _absolutely sure_  you harvested the entirety of the Foggy Swamp?"

" _Yes. I'm sure. I was there for the entire operation,"_ grunted Kuvira. " _Did Raiko not send you a copy of my report? It has three years worth of campaign information and the entire structure of my old regime, not to mention training regimens, viable counters to their in-grained formations…"_

General Iroh picked up the very,  _very_ thick binder. "No, I've got one and I've read it cover to cover." He set it back down on the table. "If what you're saying is true, then I either found a  _second_ swamp in the same location or…" He looked over the ridge and took another peak at the positively  _massive_ tree in the center of an infinitely thick tangle of vines and nature. "It grew back."

" _It_ what _?"_

"I'm looking at the Banyan Grove tree right now, Kuvira. The swamp appears completely untouched."

" _...they grow back. The vines grow back. No. No. General, I'm sorry, but I have to cut this conversation short. I have to write a report on what is now a very possible worst case scenario for our world."_

"This scenario being what, exactly?"

" _The end of everything."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This arc for Asami, refusing to internalize that her father is actually dead and that she 'already' grieved for him came about as I was writing the first chapter, but wasn't sure I'd ever get to explore it. But, people really liked the story, so I went for it. I wanted to see if I could do it, and have her become angrier, more bitter and violent through the chapters little by little. There had to be a natural progression. Hopefully it worked.
> 
> This chapter was incredibly painful for me to write, as I was drawing on my own personal experience with unhealthy ways of dealing with emotional pain. Some of you may think that Asami saying that to Korra, vomiting and then having a total emotional breakdown is unrealistic and melodramatic. Well, that's simply not true. Asami's behavior in this chapter is almost point for point what happened to me.
> 
> Alas, the story can't continue until Asami comes to terms that, yes, her father is dead, and you can't skip the grieving process. She had her dad to help her through the pain of losing her mother, but she didn't realize she'd need someone to help her through the loss of her father. And learning to forgive him.
> 
> Anyway, lighter notes:
> 
> The quote that Asami wants on Hiroshi's grave is slightly adapted one by Henry Ford, whom you all should know was the inspiration for Hiroshi's character in the first place. Not his appearance, though. That was Teddy Roosevelt.
> 
> The extended telephone exchange with Asami and Korra was one of the funnest things I've ever gotten to write. Communicating body language and action only through dialogue is always a treat.
> 
> I'm thinking Artana is voiced by the very talented Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. Some of you may know her as Motoko Kusanagi.
> 
> As always, feedback is both encouraged and appreciated! No matter how small, random, scathing, rambling or massive your thoughts may be, I'd love to hear them. :D


	10. Oldest Growth, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Avatar gets back in action! Sort of! Also, Lin and Tenzin deal with a problem that's a little too close to home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by BSG-Legacy
> 
> Considering the growing importance of the Satohawk, BSG-Legacy and I pooled our heads together and came up with what it, more or less, looks like. So behold! The Future Industries Model 88B, better known as the SATOHAWK. 
> 
> [](http://imgur.com/Ac9EstO)
> 
>  
> 
> [Note: Not production model, merely a prototype] 
> 
> Original design, coloring, clean-up and random detailing done by yours truly. Proof-of-concept art (what you're actually looking at), diesel-punking and general badassery by BSG-Legacy. Those rotors are timed so they don't hit each other, by the way.
> 
> The final version will follow the LOK art style much more closely, but for now this is more than enough.
> 
> Inspired by the Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache, the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion, and the Douglas DC-3.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Five Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Winter, 175 A.G._

 

Lee, who dared to call himself a member of the White Lotus, was an embarrassment. It was people like him that had caused the once great society to fall so far into the modern era. Artana made her move and, even more shockingly from a statistical perspective,  _won._

The white lotus gambit was used as a secret code for a reason; No decent practitioner of Pai Sho would ever be stupid enough to try it. It was a risk so easily countered that Artana genuinely considered giving the man a few hints.

But she didn't, so she won.

"That's game." Artana took her fingers off of her white lotus tile and smiled at Lee. "I have  _never_ won a match that way, and the irony that it was against you, of all people, is very fitting."

Lee looked between the board and her several times, incredulously. "You know, I knew I wasn't the best player, but this is just...I have no idea how to feel right now."

Artana chuckled. "Laughing would be a good place to start." She'd been nearly certain that she'd win even before challenging him, but giving herself a handicap made the entire experience much more interesting. Such a shame he hadn't even come close to victory.

"I guess you're right. Thanks for the game, Artana." Lee snickered and put his helmet back on. "Break's over, though, so until next time," he said waving as he went off to do...whatever it was that the White Lotus did.

She still wasn't entirely clear on that subject.

Artana returned his wave and packed up her Pai Sho board. Life on Air Temple Island was much more lavish than she'd expected it to be. For a nation of supposed nomads and monks unbound by earthly attachments, the Acolytes and Airbenders certainly didn't lack for much of anything.

Room and board were of no charge. Even  _transportation_ fees were covered. Artana had insisted that she  _at least_ help with the cost of food, considering how many lived at the temple.

Pema, the delightful wife of Master Tenzin, had given her a very firm 'No', refusing to speak on the subject again.

She was most likely quite accustomed to that particular conversation, but Artana still felt as if she were taking something for nothing, even if her work on the 'defense project' was a 'great and noble contribution'. It was important, she agreed, but it didn't put food in the mouths of the starving.

Artana cracked her neck and flattened her earthbent table and chairs. She felt it would've been rude to move a few outside for their game, so she'd decided to simply make her own.

"I didn't know you were an earthbender," said the Avatar, approaching with her polar bear dog.

Artana chuckled. "And a good morning to you too, Avatar."

"Oh, heh, right. Sorry. Good morning, and you can just call me Korra." Her face sunk. "Please just call me Korra. Every time somebody calls me by my title it makes me think something horrible just happened, or is about to happen, or is indirectly my fault…" She shrugged into a smile. "But what're you gonna do? Korra, though."

"Okay, Korra," she said, showing a hint of a smile. It was refreshing, yet also distinctly odd, to be so informal towards the Avatar and her boss. She would adapt, though. She always did. "And I wouldn't quite say I'm an earthbender. I can bend earth, yes, but it really isn't my strong suit, relative to other things."

"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense."

Artana narrowed her eyes. "Should I have told you? The Earth Empire had us identified as non-benders and benders for census purposes, but I thought this wasn't done in the United Republic since the customs officer didn't ask."

"We, or they, I guess, don't do that, no! No, no. It's fine!" The Avatar---no, Korra shook her head, held her palms up in a placating manner and chuckled anxiously. "It's just surprising! I assumed you were a non-bender because you were an engineer and wow that sounds bad when I say it out loud."

Artana shrugged. "It's fine. You wouldn't be the first to make that assumption, and you're hardly the last. Besides, that little misconception has been pretty useful when I've gotten into fights."

Korra laughed once. "Hah, yeah." She blinked and looked at her from head to toe. "Wait, did you even move your feet? How did you---"

Asami came sprinting out of the temple. She skidded to a stop and nearly tackled Korra. "Korra, we need to go to the swamp. Right now," she said authoritatively.

"Why? What happened?"

"It grew back. Look, I'll explain on the way. Just grab everyone and meet me at my estate. Mako's at work, Bolin and Opal are at Narook's. We're taking off in two hours. Artana! You, Varrick and Zhu Li have the next three days off. If you work anymore hours without vacation time the government will have my head." She sprinted off toward one the White Lotus speedboats. "GRAB KUVIRA, TOO!"

Korra stared after her like she'd grown a tail. "You want me to  _what?!_ Do you even know what you just said!?"

"YES! I DO! I'LL EXPLAIN ON THE WAY! JUST DO IT!" she said over the roaring engine of the speedboat. "TWO HOURS!" With that, the boat roared off from the island and towards the city.

Korra blinked a few times. "Uh, nice talking to you, Artana. See you, later! Have a nice vacation, gotta go!" She ran back into the temple and in less than ten seconds Artana saw her soar into the sky on her glider.

Artana raised a brow as Korra vanished into the skyline. The swamp  _grew back,_ and she had three full days of paid vacation.

And she had no idea how to fill that time. Because she'd never had a vacation.

Artana smacked her forehead.

 

* * *

 

Bolin raised his brows. Clearly Korra was in a panic, but he'd always had a little trouble understanding her when she had a thousand things to say at once. She'd barreled through the doors of Narook's looking like she'd just  _sprinted_  there from the temple, and nearly pounced on him and Opal.

"...okay, can you repeat that?" he said with a mouthful of noodles.

" _TheswampgrewbackwehavetogotheremeetmeatAsami'splace!"_

Opal tilted her head. "All I caught was Asami and swamp."

"I heard the word 'grew'," said Bolin. "Don't ask me how.'

Bolin and Opal exchanged a look. " _The swamp grew back?!_ " they said in unison.

Korra nodded and gestured out the door. "Meet me at Asami's! I've gotta go find Mako and Kuvira,  _yes I know what I said_!" Then, she was out the door with a burst of air.

Bolin leaped out of his booth and sprinted over to Narook. "Quick, I need a takeout bag! It's an Avatar emergency!" And just like that, his noodles were safe and sound in a cup and bag. Which was lucky, since Opal was dragging him outside in a huff.

 

* * *

 

"I have a  _job_ , Korra! I can't just go off on adventures at the drop of a hat anymore," groaned Mako. He'd been seriously worried when Korra had all but  _crashed_ through his office window at the newly refurbished RCPD Headquarters.

"Uh huh." Korra pouted, opened his office door into the larger precinct floor and cracked her neck. "HEY LIN!"

Lin slammed her office door open with such force he was sure she'd broken one of the building's support beams. " _What_?!"

"I need to borrow Mako. How much vacation time does he have?"

"Plenty!  _Just take him!_ "

Mako pinched his brow. "Thank you, Chief!" That was that. "...so meet you at Asami's place?"

"Yup! Gotta go grab Kuvira, but I'll see you there!" she said, leaping out of his window again.

" _What?!_ Are you crazy?! _"_

 

* * *

 

Kuvira was shocked, and that was putting things lightly. When she'd heard  _violent_ knocking on her apartment door, the one that the United Republic had supplied, furnished and watched over to ensure she didn't step out of line, she'd honestly expected to be taken back to jail. Or worse.

The last thing she expected was a very severe looking Korra holding her glider as if it were a deadly weapon. Which it arguably was.

"Kuvira, grab your gear. We're going to the swamp. Right now."

Kuvira narrowed her eyes and nodded. "Understood." So they  _were_ taking her reports seriously. She reached out toward the fixtures in her small apartment and, in a matter of seconds, reformed them around her arms into gauntlets made of thin metal strips.

Korra grew a very bemused expression. "I  _cannot_ believe that, out of everyone, you're the only one besides Asami who didn't hesitate. Ugh." She began stomping down the hall and motioned for Kuvira to follow.

Kuvira did so, keeping pace beside her. "Who else will be accompanying us?"

"It's going to be you, me, Asami, Mako, Bolin and Opal, so think of this as a...field test. If you don't try anything, and are genuinely helpful, I'll let Raiko know that. However…" She grabbed Kuvira by the throat and slammed her up against the wall. "If you so much as  _look_ at Asami the wrong way…" Her eyes shined brightly, transitioning to that pure, powerful white light. " _I will cut you down where you stand and deliver your head to Baatar,"_ she seethed. "Are we clear?"

Kuvira licked the inside of her lips and trembled very, very slightly. There was no shame in fearing the power of the Avatar, she knew that. However, that didn't mean she was going to panic in front of her, even though she didn't doubt for a moment that Korra was bluffing. "We are."

Korra's eyes returned to normal and released her. "Good. Let's go."

 

* * *

 

Asami handed out copies of Kuvira's report on Spirit Vines, the swamp, and military theory to the entire team. It bothered her immensely that she'd come to many of the same conclusions that Kuvira had, simply by chance, the moment they'd caught the trucks trying to smuggle vines out of the city.

The end of everything.

They stood on her estate's landing pad, just inside the enormous and imposing shadow of the Satohawk. She'd just spent the last hour detailing it in black and red, and it looked  _gorgeous and terrifying._

Perfect.

Asami held up her copy of the report. "Okay, long story short: The swamp, which Kuvira harvested until there was nothing left, her words, has  _grown back_. It managed to do this in around five months. The United Forces discovered this just a few days ago, and are now focusing on securing a perimeter around it."

Kuvira opened her mouth, but held her tongue. Good.

"How are they going to do that? The swamp is enormous." asked Opal.

Asami shook her head. "That, for the time being, isn't our concern. We need to figure out  _how_ this happened, and if possible, how to stop it from happening again. Korra, we'll discuss the spiritual ramifications of that on the flight over."

Korra narrowed her eyes. "Okay."

Bolin pointed up toward the Satohawk's dual rotors. "What happened to the blades that tilted? Those were  _really cool._ "

"Yeah, I know, but there were too many moving parts, and that design was extremely experimental in the first place. It just wasn't feasible. At least, not yet." Asami marched in through the back of the Satohawk, but stopped as her boots hit the metal ramp.

They were all together in one place. It was as good a time as any. Mostly.

Asami turned around and gave everyone, except Kuvira, an apologetic look. "...and I'm sorry for being...not quite myself these past few months. I was cruel and angry and I took it out on everyone, worst of all you guys. I can't thank you enough for sticking by me, and I can't do anything that could possibly repay you for what you did."

Korra, Bolin, Opal and Mako all made a simultaneous series of remarks and gestures that amounted to "Don't worry about it, it's what friends do!"

"Yeah." Asami smiled gratefully. She spun on her heel and walked into the cockpit. "I cooked something up to express my gratitude, but it's a surprise and I can only show you once we're flying!" She made one final scan of instruments, confirming everything was where it should be. "I've labeled your seats, so choose the one with your name on it. If you don't you'll have the wrong equipment and survival packs under the seat." She strapped herself in and began running through the pre-flight checks. Which was redundant, since she'd already done it seven times while she was waiting for everyone to arrive. It was still important to keep the routine, though.

Opal chuckled and strapped herself into her labeled seat. "You've thought of everything, haven't you?"

"Almost!"

"I would have thought the new one would be swankier..." Bolin scooched in beside her and began munching on his takeout. "I mean, it's really cool, and spacious, pretty sure we could fit Naga in here. Maybe even a satomobile..."

Mako sat across from Bolin. "The hot tub is only for the luxury models. This one is custom."

Korra laughed and sat next to Mako, nearest to the cockpit. "Hot tubs on an airplane. Sounds like something Varrick would buy."

"If he hasn't already made it," added Opal.

Kuvira sat down next to Mako, nearest to the exit ramp. She stayed silent. Wonderful.

"It's not an airplane. It's a...Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft. I'll think of a better classification later." Asami turned around and gave them all a hard look. "Okay. Does  _anyone_ have to pee? This is a seven hour flight, and I'd like to get as much of it done before we have to take a break."

Korra's jaw dropped. " _Seven hours?_ How fast can this thing go?"

"The swamp is over fifteen hundred miles away," added Kuvira.

"No, I did the math right." Asami grinned at everyone except Kuvira. "Oh, did I forgot to mention that this baby can go two hundred miles an hour? Because it can."

Bolin choked on his noodles and Opal patted him on the back.

Mako raised his brows well into his hairline. "Leave it to you to make the world's first flying sports satomobile."

"No kidding," chuckled Opal. "Well, I'm okay on the bathroom right now."

Korra rolled her eyes and tightened her straps. "Yeah, I'm good."

Bolin shook his head.

"I went before I got here," said Mako.

Asami frowned. "Kuvira?"

"Hm?"

"Do you have to pee?"

"No, I'm all right."

Asami turned back to the controls and closed the exit ramp. "Okay, so below your seats you're going to find some treats and equipment. Bolin, I got one of those...disk things you like use with lava. Opal, you have a spare wingsuit and lots of snacks. Mako, you...don't really need any equipment, so I just got you a few books and an extra pair of clothes."

"It's fine. I appreciate the thought."

"...and some chocolate."

" _Yes."_

Korra opened her bag. "...huh. Metalbending cables. I should really just  _have_ these."

"I could say the same thing about waterskins, but everytime I bring it up you---"

Korra grunted and sliced her hand across her throat.

"Yes. That. You do that."

Kuvira raised a brow as she pulled out a set of her own cables. "This must be some mistake. I find it very unlikely that you would supply me with weaponry."

"No. It's not a mistake. You're the one who outlined that all of my fears weren't unfounded in that report of yours, so you're coming with. And, as much as I hate to say it, we need you. You and Korra are the only ones who know how to navigate a swamp. We'll go over the rest once we're in the air."

Korra crossed her arms. "Let's just get moving."

"All right, here we go." Asami flicked the engine on and the Satohawk  _roared_ as it's dual, alternating rotors spun faster and faster. She pulled the collective stick up and the massive aircraft lifted off of the pad, rising and rising above her estate. She banked right and pitched forward, sending the craft screaming southeast.

Straight toward the swamp.

 

* * *

 

Lin scanned a few headlines in the newspaper as she scarfed down her pathetic excuse for lunch. Unrest in the Earth Kingdom. Warlords gaining strength. Obviously. Border disputes. Fire Nation reluctant to intervene, and on and on it went. If it was up to her, she'd just send in a team of Combustion Benders to blow up the 'leaders' of the rebel factions. The rest would be scattered and herded right into her net.

Her phone rang, because  _of course it did._  She flicked her wrist and metalbent the telephone into her hands. "Chief Beifong speaking."

" _Lin, who do you have assigned as your Special Response commander?"_

"Really, Tenzin? No hello? No how are you?"

" _There's no time! Listen to me, some of my airbenders just reported seeing a violent sandstorm approaching from the east, towards the United Republic border."_

"A sandstorm? That's ridiculous. Your airbenders must be getting lightheaded from all that flying around. We're nowhere near..." Lin narrowed her eyes at the newspaper, remembering the  _last time_ somebody saw a weird storm. "Damnit. It's Saikhan, he's got command. He has no idea what he's going up against."

" _I'm not sure any of us truly do."_

"We have to move fast, or we might not get another chance at catching this guy. I'll ground the airships and get my officers to keep the refugees as far away from the border as possible."

" _Some of my airbenders and I will meet you there. The best way to counter a sandstorm is to diffuse it entirely, and you're going to need us for that."_

"Thanks."

" _Anytime."_

Lin violently hung up the telephone and rubbed her temples.

"Korra and her merry band of vigilantes couldn't have picked a worse time to leave."

 

* * *

 

Korra furrowed her brow and stared at the thick report Asami had given her. After a primer on how Spirit Vines actually  _worked,_ which was pretty interesting, it became...confusing. And that was being kind. She knew enough political and military theory to get by on her own, but she was  _not_ equipped to understand the complexities behind spirit vine weaponry and somebody being angry. Or something. Mad? Why were people mad?

"Okay, I'm still lost," she said, sighing.

Bolin scratched his head. "Yeah, this really just isn't sinking in. All I've got so far is that, okay, spirit weapons are super powerful, and the vines are all over the place which means that basically anyone can make a...'dirty' bomb? Which makes sense. You just need a battery and some wires."

Mako raised a brow. "You can't be serious."

Asami snorted. "He is. I've tested that a dozen times. It's really that simple."

Kuvira nodded. "While that is indeed troubling, it is unfortunately the least of our worries. It may be easier if I explain this out loud." She cleared her throat. "Imagine, if you will, that the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation were still at war, and there was no United Republic. You have two nations with ideological differences that are actively hostile to one another. Now, once you put Spirit Weapons in play on both sides, they stop fighting outright wars and limit hostilities to small skirmishes."

Opal hummed. "But why would they do that? They have Spirit Weapons. They could just destroy anything they wanted to, at any time." She blinked and paled. "Oh, now I get it. I sort of wish I didn't."

Mako pinched his brow. "This is insane. Both sides can wipe the other out entirely, so nobody tries anything. If they attack, or use Spirit Weapons, the other guys will do the same thing, destroying  _both_ countries in the process."

Kuvira nodded grimly. "Mutually assured destruction, or M.A.D. for short. It's important to understand that concept before we move on as to why that  _doesn't_ apply to our situation."

Korra frowned. "Why did you explain it if it doesn't apply? What was the point?"

"A simple one. In theory, when M.A.D. is in play, it would maintain a sort of...tainted balance between the two large nations. No large wars. No cities destroyed in an instant. If one were to take that away…"

Korra's eyes could not have been more outside of her head. "Then there's nothing stopping anyone from using them! The Red Lotus could destroy an entire city, but we can't use them, not that we should, because there's nothing for us to target!"

Asami sighed very deeply. "That's exactly it, Korra. If Spirit Vines didn't grow back, this would be something we could control. We could just lock them away in some vault forty stories underground and no one would be able to use them. But they  _do_ grow back. So we have to stop that from happening."

Korra crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Asami did have a point. A very good one, in fact. Spirit Vines, thanks to a few bad people, would only inevitably end up being used for weapons. Limiting their growth may be possible, but stunting it all together gave her a bad taste in her...everything. It was wrong. Raava didn't need to remind her of that, even though she did. "...we can't just stop them from growing. We have to find another way."

"Korra, please. Spirits can't die. Humans can. You're human, too."

"That doesn't mean I'm just going to be okay with this."

"I don't expect you to be. If you truly believe that there's another way to deal with this, and I don't even know how we'd  _stop these things from growing_ in the first place, then we'll try that first."

"Okay, okay." Korra frowned. "We won't know until we get there, anyway." She tapped her thighs. "...so...uh..."

Bolin looked between Kuvira, Mako and Korra. "...yeah."

Opal crooked her lips to the side. "The lack of appropriate conversation topics is going to get really old, really fast."

Kuvira bowed her head. "I wouldn't be adverse to the rest of you acting as if I weren't present, if that would make this trip easier."

"It wouldn't. At least, not in the long run. We all have to get used to the idea that you'll be around, whether we like it or not," grumbled Korra.

"I  _really_ don't like that I agree with that sentiment," said Asami. "If we have to keep making trips to the Earth…"

"Kingdom?" suggested Bolin.

"Republic?" added Mako.

"It's Federation. Calling it now," said Opal.

"What? No, it'll be a Confederacy," said Korra.

"You're all wrong. It's going to be a Union," scoffed Asami.

Kuvira folded her hands in front of her. "I don't see what's wrong with something neutral, like 'Nation'."

Bolin shrugged. "Yeah, but then we'd have the Fire Nation, the Air Nation,  _and_ the Earth Nation. It'd...wait, would that actually throw things off balance, Korra?"

"I have no idea. Knowing my luck, having six nations in the first place screwed up the Avatar cycle." She blinked. "Oh. Apparently Raava says that's ridiculous. It doesn't matter  _where_ the next Avatar is born, as long as they're the right kind of bender. Huh."

"I don't understand. Who is Raava?" asked Kuvira.

"She's the spirit of harmony that lives inside of me. Looks like a big white kite with blue markings and long tentacles. Also, she said, uh, things that..." Korra cleared her throat. "I'm not going to repeat, about you.  _Really_ nasty things. Okay, cut it out. Stop. I  _get it._ "

"Does this happen often?" asked Kuvira, staring at Korra incredulously.

Mako shrugged. "She started doing that, talking to herself, a few weeks after she got back to Republic City. No idea why."

Korra rolled her eyes. "I'm not  _talking to myself,_ I'm talking to the spirit inside of me."

"The giant blue thing?"

"No, that's my  _inner_ spirit."

"They sound like the same thing. You just flipped the words around."

"They're not the same thing! Why am I even arguing this?! You  _saw_ Raava!"

"Was I supposed to  _automatically_ know what that was? This is the first time you've ever actually explained all of this to me!"

"Well, sorry for not just blabbing about Avatar stuff! This is the first time you've ever been  _interested!"_

Bolin sighed. "Now this?" He looked at Kuvira and pointed between Mako and Korra. "This happens often.  _Still._ "

Opal shook her head. "Way too often. We tried to---" She frowned, cutting herself off. "And here I  _almost_ forgot you were here, Kuvira. Way to derail the conversation."

Asami cleared her throat. "Hey, here's a fun idea!" Korra could  _feel_ the Satohawk rapidly descend. "Everyone be quiet. Time for the surprise! It'll definitely give you guys something to talk about." The Satohawk leveled off. "Korra, open the side door."

Korra looked between everyone and shrugged. She unstrapped herself and slid open the side door. It locked into place and she was nearly thrown onto her back by the massive gust of wind that slammed into her.

"Woah."

Asami laughed. "I had a feeling that would be your reaction."

Korra gaped. They were five feet above the Mo Ce sea, and the wake they were making was  _massive._ They were cutting through the ocean through sheer wind alone, and water sprayed up and past them, gleaming in the midmorning sun. "This is amazing, Asami! Thank you! You guys have to come see this!"

The rest of them, excluding their ever-dependable pilot of course, gathered around the open door and watched the sea fly below them. It was surreal. They were moving  _so quickly_ that the beauty of it all was both amplified and frankly, a blur.

Bolin whooped. "Oh, man! I wish someone was filming this! This is...well, y'know, filming it might not capture all of the...wonderfulness here. Black and white just wouldn't do this any justice."

Opal leaned over his shoulder. "It really wouldn't. And I thought flying  _on my own_ was something special."

Mako whistled. "Wish you could see this, Asami. You're really missing out."

"I'd rather keep us in the air, if it's all the same to you."

Korra reached out to the sea, pulling at the water. Much to her surprise, she couldn't focus on the water long enough to bend it. "I can't waterbend. That's weird."

"We're probably moving too fast. Try bending some of the water that's being splashed up."

Korra nodded and did just that, and of course it worked. Why wouldn't it? Asami had thought of it. "Yup, that did it." She swirled the water around her arm and flicked it at Mako, soaking him to the bone. Before he had a chance to say  _anything,_ she dried him off and dropped the water back into the sea.

Mako frowned at her. "Very funny."

Korra looked away, totally innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

 

* * *

 

Lin, Saikhan, and a squad of RCPD metalbenders marched through the hastily constructed earthbent shantytown that just outside the city limits. It grew larger by the day as more refugees huddled along the border, seeking asylum in the only place they could.

The weak, starving and destitute looked up at them as they passed, pleading silently to be allowed passage into the United Republic. The honest truth was that Lin didn't have a choice in the matter. Raiko had wanted the borders closed, which wasn't quite possible without building a wall, so he'd settled on securing Republic City instead.

They couldn't allow more Spirit Vines to be smuggled out of the city. There was just no telling what could happen. The cyclone was growing larger in the distance. It was exactly as Iroh had described it.

Big, brown and obvious.

"Saikhan, is there  _any_ place we can move these people that isn't inside the city?"

"No, ma'am. Even if we were to get them in temporarily, there are just too many to keep track of. Quite a few would run off and we wouldn't even know it."

Lin frowned. "That's going to happen no matter what we do. Somebody is going to slip past us, but the key is controlling who that is. Refugees? Fine. Not my problem. Terrorists? Not on my watch." She looked down at her feet. "...here's an idea. Why don't we move them underground? Out of sight, out of mind."

"Impossible. We don't have enough earthbenders to make a hole this big that quickly. There are just too many people."

Lin scoffed. "Yeah,  _we_ might not have enough earthbenders…" She jabbed her thumb at the slowly gathering refugees. "But  _they_ sure as hell do. Lots of them with military training." She glared at Saikhan. "Well? What are you waiting for?! Get it done!"

Saikhan saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" He turned on his heel and sprinted off into the center of the camp, yelling out a call for earthbenders and emergencies and things of that nature. The specifics didn't matter at the moment.

Lin furrowed her brow at the growing cyclone. How were they supposed to beat that thing when an  _entire military division_ couldn't do a thing? Well, no, that wasn't true. They couldn't see anything, and whoever was bending that sand wasn't dumb enough to try and take on that many soldiers on their own.

Tanks, airships and mechas couldn't beat that thing.

Tenzin was right. Their only hope was reversing the sandstorm through airbending.

Lin looked up as Tenzin, Bumi, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo and Kai landed next to her in perfect formation. It was still weird seeing them act like an organized military, especially since Tenzin had slipped into that role much more easily than she'd expected. "You sure you can take that thing down?"

Tenzin nodded. "Absolutely. Two master airbenders and four excellent ones should have no trouble diffusing this storm."

Bumi grinned. "Relax, Lin! We've got the good old 'nobody knows how to fight an airbender' advantage on our side. We'll take 'em out before they can do any damage."

Lin covered her face with her hand. "That's really not something you should rely on."

"Why not? Every airbender does. Even Zaheer."

Tenzin raised a brow at his brother. "He can also  _fly._ "

Bumi rolled his eyes. " _Besides_ that, obviously."

Saikhan sprinted up to them. "Refugees are secure and accounted for, Chief. We're ready when you are."

Lin cleared her throat. "Okay! Here's how this is going to go!" She waited a moment before everyone to face her. "Our top priority is  _subduing_ whoever is causing this storm. Avoid deadly force unless absolutely necessary. Tenzin, you and the airbenders are going to make it impossible for the bender to generate a storm. Crosswinds, your own tornadoes, whatever. Just make it happen. The rest of you, we're going to split into two groups. Saikhan, you'll take half the squad and charge this guy head on. Other half will set up an ambush underground with me and strike when we get an opening. Understood?"

Her metalbenders saluted, and the airbenders nodded.

"Good. Let's  _move!"_

 

* * *

 

"Mind if I sit here?"

Asami looked up and smiled at Korra. "As long as you promise not to touch  _anything_. That co-pilot seat is fully functional."

Korra nodded and sat down in the leather chair. "Ooh, comfy."

"I designed this with long flights as a possible use, so it only made sense for the pilot to be comfortable through it."

"Super comfortable. I can see why you haven't complained about being left out of the...awkward shenanigans back there."

Asami smirked as she tuned her ears toward the going ons of her passengers. Mako and Kuvira were discussing stealth and sabotage tactics, while Bolin and Opal were having a heated debate about the artistic merit of movers. "Well, there's that, and keeping all of us in an enclosed space isn't the best of ideas."

Korra nodded and leaned back in her chair. "...so now that everyone else is distracted, what's the real reason you wanted Kuvira along? I doubt you need her to navigate the swamp."

Asami sighed. "That was part of it. I wasn't lying. She's also the best equipped to explain her own theory, which all of you need to understand if we're going to take on this problem."

"What was the rest?"

Asami gave her a sidelong glance. "Remember how you said the swamp had a sympathetic spiritual energy?"

"Yeah. It shows you things you need to see, or have yet to see. Or something."

"Right. Well, that's only if it wants to do that. The nature of the Foggy Swamp was actually in one of the books we got from Wan Shi Tong, and while some of it was more metaphor than explanation, it was pretty clear that something about the swamp is reactive to humans in a generally positive way, but only if that person is 'worthy'."

"Worthy? That probably means 'spiritual' or 'good natured'."

"That was my guess, too. Think of this trip as a test. If the swamp shows her things, then she's not the monster I think she is, even if I hate her. If it doesn't, then she's just a tool in Raiko's big game of diplomacy. The point is that I'll know for sure."

Korra nodded. "Makes sense. I gave her a similar explanation. Though it involved more threats…" She raised a brow and looked back into the passenger cabin. "I agree with what you're doing, but it's still confusing me as to why you did this without me even suggesting it."

"There's a very simple reason for that." Asami frowned. "I trust you more than I hate her."

"I want to smile at that, but it's sort of hard."

"It is, isn't it?"

"How much longer until we get to the swamp?"

"A little less than three hours, I think."

"Asami."

"Hm?"

Korra smiled kindly. "You look better."

"Thanks," she said, returning the smile. Better, but not at her best. "I'll get there." Asami narrowed her eyes at the streaks of land below them. "I'll get there."

"I know. And I'll be right there with you when you do."

 

* * *

 

Tenzin took a deep breath and focused on the rotation of the sandstorm. It was a simple counter-clockwise motion. Logically, removing it was as simple as reversing it and saturating the air currents to such a degree that no sand could be bent effectively.

Somehow, he doubted that it would be that simple.

He had positioned his family and Kai perfectly. They were just inside the shantytown, using the buildings as cover. Sneak attacks only worked once, and if there was one thing airbenders excelled at, it was that. Among a few thousand other things, of course.

The storm was almost upon them. They were ready.

"NOW!" he yelled, spiraling out of cover and sending a massive, constant stream of air into the cyclone, which was quickly followed by four more.

The storm shuddered as it strained to retain its shape, but little by little its structure began to collapse. Then, it stopped spinning entirely, and began spiraling in on itself, using the streams of airbending to make it go faster and faster.

And then, with no warning at all, the sand vanished. Replaced by the bright glaring of the sun.

Glass.

Tenzin's eyes grew wide as he leapt back behind cover, narrowly avoiding a few thousand shards of glass being hurled straight into the street. He looked across the alleyway, confirming that everyone was all right and unharmed.

Glassbending. Impossible. There had to be another explanation.

Saikhan and his men sprinted past them in pairs and dropped low to the ground, erecting a large stone wall that just narrowly blocked the next stream of glass. Two of them were swallowed by a sudden manifestation of quicksand, only for their comrades to pull them back up.

"Ikki, Meelo! Get out of here  _right now_! There's no time for arguing, it's too dangerous! Just go!" Thankfully, they listened for once and used the shantytown to escape back into the city. The glass must have scared them just as much as it did him.

Glass.

Tenzin furrowed his brow. He couldn't out think this. He didn't have the military mind for it. "Bumi! How do we counter  _glass_?!"

"Same way you counter everything else! Spread the enemy thin and flank them! If we go at this guy all at once, from four different directions, he'll be overwhelmed since he has to deal with the metalbenders too!"

"Are you  _sure_?"

"Hey, it worked once before! And this time we don't even need a catapult"

Tenzin set his teeth. "Okay!  _GO!"_

All five of them lifted off the ground and started flying haphazardly, sending blasts of air down at the sandbender, who was preoccupied with the slowly advancing metalbenders. Still, every attack was blocked by a shield of earth that seemed to form out of nowhere. Streams of sand and glass streaked through the air and on the ground in rapid succession.

Tenzin rolled and, acting on instinct, diverted the sandblasts instead of attempting to block them. It worked. "We can't block these attacks, they're moving too quickly! Try diverting their current or cutting straight through them!"

The sandbender seemed to hear him, as the next thing he knew, the bender was  _lifting off of the ground in a_...sandspout. Tenzin was so baffled by the act itself that he was nearly shredded to pieces by a river of glass. For an earthbender to be able to call upon their element while disconnected to the earth was an incredibly difficult feat.

The sandspout, however, was something else entirely. Jinora and Kai worked in tandem to disrupt the spout, while the rest of them just needed to focus on keeping the bender's attention. The sandspout wobbled, shook and, with a perfectly timed cyclone from Jinora, crumbled into nothing, leaving the sandbender to plummet.

Just as he hit the ground, the sandbender slammed his fist into the earth, cracking it wide open and restarting the sandstorm with  _everyone inside of it_. The shockwave threw Saikhan's metalbenders off their feet, and Tenzin struggled to stay level as the cyclone began to compress around them.

From below the shattered earth, Tenzin saw a series of metal cables spring through the air and latch onto the surface.

_Be careful, Lin._

 

* * *

 

Lin launched herself upward, blasting through the rubble of the sandbenders  _ridiculous_ attack. She and the rest of her squad flew up to the surface, surrounding him. Five pairs of cables shot straight at the sandbender, and they managed to deflect all but her own.

She wrapped her cables around the bender's torso, and pulled as hard as she could, knocking them off balance. That tiny moment of weakness was all that her team needed, and in the blink of an eye he was bound by ten pairs of cables.

"It's over!" Lin scowled. "You're done! Stop struggling, because there's no way you can get out of this!"

The sandbender was silent, and Lin  _really_ wished she could drop her stance and take off that stupid cloak, but she didn't want to leave anything to chance. The airbenders landed beside her, looking a little battered but otherwise okay.

Lin opened her mouth and closed it again. Something was off. The sandbender didn't  _need_ to move to create the storm. At least, Lin hadn't seen anything resembling that kind of physicality. "Tenzin, I've got a bad feeling about this. Rip off that cloak so we can get out of here."

Before he had a chance to answer, a chill ran up her spine as she saw the sand all around them form into one massive dome. It twisted inward on itself, and Lin didn't need another hint as to what was going to come next.

"DISENGAGE AND BUNKER DOWN!" she screamed, retracting her cables and yanking Tenzin, Bumi, Jinora and Kai as close as she could. The sun glared off of the dome, and massive glass shards began to rain down from every direction. Lin wrapped all five of them in the thickest stone dome she could muster and thrust the floor several stories underground

After a few seconds the impacts stopped, and Lin slammed her bare foot into the ground, reaching out to the earth. She needed to make sure it was was safe. Relatively. Metalbenders, shards of glass, sand, another secret  _tunnel are you kidding me?!_  Lin roared, raised them back to ground level, and punched her way out of her stone dome, stomping out into the shattered battlefield.

Three of her metalbenders hadn't been fast enough.

The sandbender was gone. It wasn't suicide. It was a gambit.

And it had paid off in spades.

"Damnit." Lin pinched her brow as the airbenders walked up to her. " _Damnit_. Even when we're prepared, we lose!"

Jinora shook her head. "We didn't lose. It was a draw, and now he knows we're capable of beating him."

Bumi frowned and crossed his arms. "Yeah, Jinora's right. That whole fight, though, sorta reminded of how dad used to spar with you and Kya, Tenzin. After you guys became masters."

"What are you talking about? The sandspout, the storms, the streams, redirecting our attacks; how was that  _anything_ like what dad did?" Tenzin furrowed his brow. "The only thing that changed was that he'd use all four elements, instead of just our own…" His eyes widened. "Oh no. That's what he was doing. Somehow, this sandbender was able to mimic the traits, attributes and techniques of  _all four elements._  "

Lin rolled her eyes. "Great. As if things weren't bad enough already with the  _glassbending._ "

"It's more likely that he was using sand currents to throw the glass---"

" _I know."_

Saikhan cleared his throat and limped over. "Uh, ma'am. We've got another problem."

"What now _?"_

"A caravan of ten armored trucks were spotted leaving through the shantytown during the battle."

Lin closed her eyes and took a very deep breath. "Let me guess. Spirit Vines?"

"...yes."

" _WHY DIDN'T ANYONE STOP THEM?!"_

"They were platinum lined, ma'am!"

"Oh, of  _course_ it was platinum! When is it ever  _not_ platinum?! One crazy inventor figures out how to beat metalbenders and  _everyone on the planet_ steals the idea! _"_

Tenzin sighed. "We should contact Korra and let her know what happened."

"You do that. Saikhan, you're in charge for the rest of the day."

"Ma'am?"

"Shut up. If I don't go for a drink right now I'm probably going to murder someone."

 

* * *

 

"That looks like the swamp all right," said Korra, resting her arm on top of of Asami's seat.

Asami sighed as they approached the  _enormous_ mass of vines, trees and most likely other forms of crazy nature. The huge tree, however, was worth the trip alone. She'd never seen anything so magnificent and serene before, even in the Spirit World. "And I'm guessing  _that_ is the Banyan Grove tree, unless there's another huge tree in the area."

"Nope. That's the one."

Kuvira narrowed her eyes at the tree. "If it's anything like the original, then there should be plenty of room to land on the edge of the base."

" _Korra? Is this the right frequency?"_

Asami handed the radio off to Korra. "I was wondering if long range transmission was going to work on this thing…"

Korra shrugged. "Yeah, it is, Tenzin. What's up? We just got to the swamp, and it is  _definitely_ not cut down."

" _I wish had good news to offer you in return, but unfortunately, just after you left, the border was attacked by that master sandbender General Iroh spoke of."_

Korra and Asami exchanged a look. "I take it you didn't manage to capture him."

" _We almost did, but, Korra, this bender is capable of---"_

The radio cut to static.   Weird.

Asami frowned.  "I guess that's the maximum range, then." She raised a brows as all of her instruments began to shudder and shake. "Uhhh, that's...not good."  _Something_ huge, no  _three_ things, slammed against the outer hull and slowed them to a grinding halt. The rotors were still going strong, but Asami couldn't move. "We're stuck! In mid-air!  _What the hell is going on?!_ "

Korra pulled the side door open and gaped. "Vines!  _Giant vines._ Mako, Bolin! Take the other door and start cutting! Kuvira, you're with me!"

Asami took a quick glance behind her, just for a moment, and saw Bolin readying his lavadisk while Korra and Kuvira sent fire and blades of metal outside respectively. "How are we doing back there? We're too close to the ground to use the parachutes! Just so you know!" The entire frame was rattling. She had no idea how long she could keep them in the air.

"Well, fire and metal aren't working so well! These vines are  _really_ thick!" yelled Korra.

Bolin whooped. "Lavadisk is workin' great or, okay, nope it just grows back in like half a second."

Asami growled and held on to the yoke for dear life. Literally. "Okay, if nobody has any ideas, I'm going to try and use the rotors to cut us loose! Strap in!"

Mako gave her a thumbs up. "We're good!"

Asami nodded and licked the inside of her lips. She banked left, dropped in altitude, and pitched backward, raising the nose. She heard the rotors slice clean through the vines and immediately pulled up on the collective lever, raising them up as far as she could. "All right! We're clear of the---" A massive vine smacked straight into the cockpit's viewport and Asami felt five more wrap around the Satohawk's frame.

Asami blanched as the red emergency lights turned off and the horn blared. Still too low to use the parachutes. The ejection seats were blocked by the vines. The controls were going to break her wrists if she held much longer. No choice. "We've got maybe thirty seconds! Opal, use your wingsuit! Kuvira, grab Mako and use your cables! Korra---"

Korra had somehow made it into the cockpit. "Kuvira grabbed Mako  _and_ Bolin! Come on, let's get out of here!"

Asami smiled grimly. "I can't. The second I let go---"

Korra met her terrified gaze. " _I'm faster._ "

Asami nodded. Korra couldn't lie. She let go, sending them hurtling toward the floor of the swamp. Korra ripped her out of her seat and charged out of the side door with a burst of airbending. They fell almost straight down, and Asami was impressed with how she wasn't screaming. Externally, at least. Korra latched her cables into two nearby trees and slowed them further with a cushion of air.

They hit the ground and Asami tumbled forward out of her arms and face first into the mud. She groaned and flipped onto her back, slowing her breath. "Okay. You were faster. Thanks." Korra was looking down at her, somehow composed. "Korra, why does everything I fly crash?"

Korra shrugged and pulled her to her feet. "Could be bad luck, but I think this time it was just the swamp trying to communicate." She waterbended the mud off the both of them. "It's a  _weird_ way to communicate, but still." Korra paled. "...okay, maybe don't turn around, because the swamp apparently had two things it wanted to say."

Asami raised a brow and spun around. She was relieved to see that Mako, Bolin and Opal were all unharmed, but still covered in mud. Also Kuvira was okay, so that was...okay. And then she looked up.

There was her damaged Satohawk, rotors intact, suspended by a series of vines. The emergency lights were still blinking and it swung ever so slightly back and forth. Then, the co-pilot's ejection seat shot out of the cockpit and landed next to her feet, the parachute covering her like a tarp.

Asami's entire body twitched.

" _I HATE THE SWAMP!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part of the story got WAY too long for just one chapter, so I had to split up into two parts. Sorry for the cliffhanger. Well, not really. I like it.
> 
> For anyone curious as to what earthbenders are capable of, or need a refresher, go to the Avatar wiki and scroll through the documented abilities. Most of them were displayed in ATLA, and the only thing I'm making up here is the glass. Which is really just the sand rubbing against itself enough so that the friction generates enough heat to make glass. Thanks to fluidmind for reminding me that the energy necessary to turn rocks into lava is IMMENSELY more than is needed to create glass from the same rocks. So, by using the logic of the Avatar universe itself, glass generation is not only totally possible, but EASIER than lavabending. 
> 
> Yay logic!
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated and encouraged. No matter how small, scathing, or rambling your thoughts may be, I'd love to hear 'em. :D


	11. Oldest Growth, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Swamp can be cruel to some, and merciful to others.
> 
> Considering the circumstances, Asami is pretty sure she got off easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do not be alarmed! I changed the name of the story because it evolved well beyond "Noodles". That's still super thematically important, but at a glance, the title no longer made sense. It's the same tale, and the same plot, but the name is what I originally intended it to be. 
> 
> Special thanks to Beech27, author of the fantastic NoirAU "Republic City Blues" for helping me write part of this chapter. If you're not familiar with that story, you should fix that.
> 
> EDIT/Update: Beta'd by BSG-Legacy!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

 

_Five Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Winter, 175 A.G._

“I HATE THE SWAMP!”

Asami viciously struggled with the parachute that had decided to use her as a coat rack, pulling at it in every direction.  She couldn’t find the seam, and it kept getting more tangled around her.  She was about to start ripping a hole in it before Opal intervened.  Thankfully, she’d been thoughtful enough to save Asami several long minutes of screaming by gently lifting it off of her with airbending.

“Thought you could use a little help,” said Opal.

“Thank you, Opal,” sighed Asami. She took a series of calming breaths. Possibly stranded with no radio. At least she wasn’t alone. Not alone. “Is everyone okay? You all look okay---”

Korra rested a hand on her shoulder. “We’re fine. I just checked everybody for injuries, and there’s nothing I need to heal. Some scrapes and bruises, but nothing we can’t handle.”

Asami frowned and looked up at her Satohawk. The once magnificent triumph of aviation engineering was taken down by vines. On its first true test flight. Asami didn’t appreciate the irony. “I should have predicted this. The vines were hostile in Republic City, for a time. It only makes sense that these would behave the same way.”

Bolin bobbed his head from side to side. “Okay, well, that’s true, but they’re also giant vines, Asami. I mean, it’s asking a little much for you to invent some sort of...anti spirit vine thing. Not the explosive kind, but the garden variety kind. This kind,” he said, pointing at the vines that were everywhere. “‘Cause you’re already doing the other one.”

Asami snorted. “Bolin, I appreciate the gesture, but now is really not the time.” She put a hand on her hip and scratched her head. “All of our survival gear is up on the Satohawk, so we need to focus on getting that down first, before we even think about doing anything else.”

Kuvira looked up at the tangle of vines. “Korra and I can lower it safely if we can free it from those vines. I must admit, I’m surprised it isn’t platinum-lined.”

“The final product will be,” She smiled sadly. “A week later and we’d have been in real trouble.”

“Aw, don’t worry about that. We’re all good.” Bolin flung his arms about and summoned his lavadisk from a nearby pool of mud. “Okay ladies, get ready to catch that big hunk of metal!”

Korra and Kuvira walked to opposite sides of the Satohawk and dropped into a grounded horse stance. With a nod from Korra, Bolin swiped his lavadisk through the vines in one swift motion, slicing them clean. The Satohawk creaked as its weight snapped what was left of the vines holding on to it.  The two metalbenders grasped on to the aircraft just as it began to fall, their boots lowering into the mud as they slowly lowered it with gritted teeth.  It settled on to the ground peacefully, and both metalbenders gave a heavy sigh of relief.

“Wow,” said Korra, sitting down.  “And I thought an armored truck was heavy…”

Kuvira rested her hands on her knees and took several deep breaths.  She wiped sweat away from her eyes.  “That was the single most difficult thing I’ve ever had to metalbend, through sheer weight and bulk alone.”

Korra shrugged.  “So. Does anyone have any idea how we’re supposed to research the swamp?”

Mako pinched his brow. “You’re the Avatar.”

“And since when has that meant that I have all the answers?”

“You should still have some idea, though. Why can’t you just ask Raava?”

“Uhh, because she’s just as lost as we are. Apparently Vaatu might know, but I’m not about to wait ten thousand years to ask him.”

“Who’s Vaatu?” asked Kuvira.

Korra groaned. “The opposite of Raava! The great spirit of chaos, imbalance and darkness! The giant red kite that fused with my uncle!”

“I only saw the mover reels after the fact. I had no idea what was happening. I still don’t, if I’m being honest.”

“You really don’t need to,” said Opal.  “Vaatu lost. That’s what’s important. Also that I got airbending.”

“Yup.” Korra nodded. “What about the books? Please tell me you brought your books, Asami. Those would probably help.”

“I did, don’t worry.” Asami quickly grabbed her pack from the cockpit, side stepping the series of crushed and mangled metal panels littered on the cabin floor. She pulled out the book and flipped through the pages. “There wasn’t anything about the swamp’s growth, though. Only it’s spiritual presence, and a bunch of stuff that…”

They were gone. In the few seconds she’d taken her eyes off them, they’d had vanished without so much as a sound. Asami was all alone in the swamp. A swamp that caused ‘helpful’ hallucinations. Perception of her reality was no longer objective, and she was at the whim of the spirits.

Asami shivered and sat just inside the Satohawk’s side door. She hugged herself, because it all felt so familiar. Everyone she loved had simply disappeared, and she was powerless to correct it.  
It was her own personalized living nightmare.

“I hate the swamp,” she whispered.

 

* * *

 

“Asami? Did you find the books?” asked Korra, sitting across from the Satohawk. “It’s okay if you lost them, all right? It was just an accident.”

“Surely the library would understand,” said Kuvira.

“You’d think so, but the giant owl spirit who runs it is a bit of a jerk. Very wise, but still a jerk.”

“There’s a library...maintained by a giant owl spirit?” she asked incredulously.

“It’s also upside down and sort of...floating in the sky. Spirit sky. Or something. That place really doesn’t make sense half the time.”

“More like all of the time.” Bolin sighed. “And people wonder why Team Avatar is so exclusive. We’d have to re-explain everything! All the time! To every new person! It’d just get exhausting and then the stories wouldn’t be fun or cool anymore and...yeah, glad we’re not holding try-outs.”

Mako raised a brow. “Why would we even do that?”

“We wouldn’t. I’m just saying I’m glad we’re not.”

“Okay, I get that, but if there’s no reason to do it, why even bring it up?”

“Because I’m making conversation, okay? Filling the silence? Speaking my mind? Trying not to think about how scary it is that we’re surrounded by spirit vines. That can kill us. By exploding.”

Mako looked around and winced. “I think I’ll let you do the panicking for the both of us on this one, Bo.”

Bolin’s postured deflated. “I’m not panicking. I’m concerned. Also, Asami! I know losing things is embarrassing, but come on! We’re not going to laugh! You should really know that. Wait, she does know that. This is weird.”

Opal poked her head into the Satohawk’s cabin and paled. “Uhm, Korra?  She’s not here.”

“What?!” Korra’s eyes bugged out of her head and she sprinted over to Opal. “Asami?” She pulled her out of the way and ducked inside the aircraft. “Stop hiding, this isn’t funny!” She checked under the seats, the cockpit, behind the craft itself. “Asami…?”

Nothing.

Gone.

“No. No! Crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap, shit! No, no, damnit, no!” Korra hopped out of the Satohawk and began violently slicing her hands through her hair. “She’s gone! Where the hell could she have---she was just here! People don’t just vanish like that!” She paced in circles, her heart pounding in her chest while her head jumped to every possible worst case scenario. Dead, dead, dead, dead, and more varieties of dead. “No, she’s...she’s not dead. She’s not dead. Not dead, not dead, not dead, not dead."

Asami couldn’t be dead. No, nope that was entirely impossible. Nope.

Mako, Bolin and Kuvira all took a good look inside the Satohawk. Mako, to his credit, didn’t panic. Bolin looked like he was going to melt down the entire swamp just to find her, which Korra appreciated, and Kuvira was simply...surprised.

Opal grabbed Korra by the shoulders and held her in place. “She’s not dead. We’ll find her, but first you have to calm down.”

“How am I supposed to calm down?! I can’t---”

“Calm. Down,” she said firmly. “She's fine.  We’ll find her.”

Korra took a few moments to slow her panicked breathing and pushed all of the frighteningly vivid mental images of the thousands of ways they were---no, weren’t going to find Asami’s body. “Okay. Okay, you’re right. We’ll find her. It’s probably some crazy spirit thing. The swamp is known for doing things like that.”

Bolin’s eyebrows vanished into his hairline. “It is? What kind of spirit things?”

“Apparently kidnapping!”

“I’d say a spirit vine took her, but we’d have heard that,” said Mako. “She’s either still here and invisible, or...something spirit related. Can’t you just track her spirit, Korra?”

Kuvira wrinkled her nose. “I had no idea you could do that.”

“Well, I can. Good idea, Mako,’ said Korra, smacking her palm against the oddly fresh bark of the nearest tree trunk. “Her...presence isn’t going to be easy to find in an area with spiritual energy this strong, but it’s not impossible.”

Korra took a small breath and closed her eyes. She reached out to the spiritual energy within the vines and focused on her memory of Asami’s minimal presence. Her energy surged through the swamp, branching out through the vines themselves and into the ground.  It was all connected, and she saw it all at once.  Her sight circled outward from the Banyan Grove tree, reaching every piece of the swamp until it ended up...right inside of the Satohawk.

Bolin stared at the yellow glow radiating from everything. “Is that...supposed to happen?”

Korra flexed her hand. “Sort of. Apparently, Asami is still right there. But also, she isn’t. And...also she’s everywhere, I guess.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It might not need to,” said Mako. He crouched down and stared at the dirt. “There are some footprints leading away from here and further into the swamp. And they look fresh. If we follow them, we should find Asami.”

“Okay, then that’s what we’re going to do,” said Korra, inspecting the prints a little closer. “Are you sure these are hers?”

“I’m a cop. This is literally my job.”

“All right.” Korra took a deep breath and looked down the path, deeper into the swamp. “Let’s get moving, then.”

 

* * *

 

Asami was conflicted.

While it was definitely a good thing that most of damage to the Satohawk was relatively minor and superficial, it also meant that she’d have less things to distract her from the terrifying prospect that everyone was gone. Possibly forever, because who knew how spirit things worked.

Nobody.

No, no. Not forever. That would be insane. And she wasn’t going crazy. There weren’t any psychotropics in the swamp air. She would know that. The United Forces would know that. People would know that!

Asami bolted the last segment of the Satohawk’s new canopy in place and felt none of her typical post-project-success giddiness. Not that she expected to, but it would have been a nice surprise. As opposed to all of those other terrible surprises that life kept throwing in her face.

Everyone was alive and okay and there was nothing to worry about. She wasn’t in the spirit world. The swamp showed people things. That’s what it did. So, it was showing her...the lack of things? Well, that was stupid.

“Asami? We’re ready for your demonstration.”

Asami turned around and she wasn’t in the swamp. She was in the desert. Korra, along with a few dozen men and women she didn’t know, were facing her, all dressed in what seemed like an odd perversion of the White Lotus uniform. “I’m sorry? What...demonstration?”

Korra smirked and held up her gloved palms. Gloves? What? “Right, right, sorry. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I still have that nasty habit of kicking down doors without knocking first. Not that you were complaining, but still.”

Asami found that she was holding a...well, it looked like a detonator. “Uhm, right.” And her jumpsuit wasn’t black and red. It was black and blue. The Future Industries logo was gone. And she was showing a very surprising amount of cleavage, which she immediately corrected.

Korra laughed and flicked her wrist, undoing the snaps Asami had just fastened to cover herself. A chill ran up Asami’s spine. “As much as I appreciate the teasing, this really isn’t the time or place for it. Now, come on. The mover cameras are rolling, and I want the world to see what the wife of the Avatar is capable of.”

Asami decided not to dwell on the fact that, apparently, she was now married to Korra, and pressed the detonator several dozen times. A flash of purple light exploded off in the distance and began swirling around itself, pulling soil, rocks, entire sand dunes and houses and people oh no there was a village there. All shoved into...nowhere. They vanished.

Wait, she knew that technology. They weren’t dead. They were pulled into the spirit world. But why would she build that? The portals were open. There wasn’t a point. And more importantly, of course:

What the hell was happening?!

There was applause, and Asami felt like screaming.

Korra whistled. “And, that’s that! Prison overflow? Not an issue for Asami Sato! The spirit world is infinite, and utterly inescapable.” She smiled at her.

“But couldn’t somebody just leave using the portals?”

Korra moved very close to her, looking worried. “We closed them a few years ago, remember?” she whispered. She frowned and put her palm on Asami’s forehead. “Are you all right? You look like you’re running a fever.”

“You closed them?!” she sputtered.

“No, you did. Well, I closed the original ones, but the one in Republic City, couldn’t do that one---why are we talking about this? Asami, you just fixed basically everything! Be excited!”

Asami wrinkled her nose and looked at the crater where the town had been. “How could that have possibly fixed everything?”

“This was your idea in the first place. Just throw all our problems in the spirit world, and let them deal with it. I thought it was brilliant. Out of sight, out of mind. The less terrorists and rebels I have to deal with the more time I get to spend with you, after all. It’s a win for everybody.”

Asami’s head was reeling and she was torn between smacking Korra upside the head or screaming. Thankfully she did neither. “...why would you close them? You brought back the spirits! The entire Air Nation!”

“What is wrong with you? We’ve talked about this. The ends justified the means, and damnit Asami, we wouldn’t have to do these things if the Red Lotus wasn’t on an active genocidal campaign against the Air Nation! You know this!” Korra pinched her brow. “Why are you making me remember this. You know this is painful for me. Everytime I think about it I just keep seeing Tenzin getting cut down, over and over and over again…”

Asami blanched and stepped away from Korra. Everything was wrong. Objectively, subjectively, metaphysically. Everything in every way. Blinding light exploded out in the distance, from every direction. Dozens of Spirit Portals grew out of the ground and shot into the sky, their beams of energy twisting and bending unnaturally.

She screamed and took off into a sprint, away from...anything. Everything. And she immediately ran straight into a tree. That hadn’t been there two seconds ago. She fell backward into the mud and, lo and behold, she was in the swamp.

She checked her clothes. Practical and sensible, despite her shaking hands. Asami scampered over to the Satohawk, trying her best not to hyperventilate. Her best was not good enough. She got inside, closed all the doors, sat up against the back of the pilot’s seat, and hugged her knees to her chest.

Tenzin could not be allowed to die in any way other than natural causes.

The swamp was evil.

Evil, evil, evil.

Evil.

 

* * *

 

Bolin raised a brow at his brother. “Anything in your detective training teach you about this kind of thing?” he said, pointing to the multiple pairs of identical footprints circling a rock and heading off into three separate directions. “Because if it did, I will be seriously impressed. Pretty sure Asami isn’t three people. And that these footprints aren’t ours.”

Mako frowned. “I’m at a loss, okay? I have no idea how this is even possible.”

Korra growled. “Look, we’ll just split up and head in each direction. And we’ll keep yelling ASAMI until she answers!”

“That would be unwise. One of us will most likely get lost,” said Kuvira.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t recall asking for your opinion, oh Great Uniter.”

Opal wrinkled her nose and spun in a circle. “Anyone else feel that? And hear that?”

“I don’t know, so probably not?” said Bolin.

Kuvira’s eyes popped out of her head. “I think she may mean the tidal wave. That is somehow in a swamp.”

“A tidal wave? Well, that’s just ridiculous.”

Korra grabbed Bolin’s shoulders and turned him to face the...oh. The tidal wave. Well, that’s going to make things difficult. “Yeah! It is! But it’s also there! Everyone get behind---”

The water surged forward, faster than Bolin could believe, and washed over everyone. He was sent tumbling to the ground, and when he got up he was---wait why was he on the outer wall of Ba Sing Se and everything was---

“COVERED IN LAVA!” he yelped, grasping at his own head and pushing his eyes out of their sockets.

All of Ba Sing Se was submerged in lava. The inner walls were down, and every building, every street, every tower, every satomobile, every piece of Kuvira propaganda, every cabbage car, every man, woman and child were drifting. Burning. Melting.

Steaming. Writhing. Bubbling.

He could feel the earth itself boiling.

Bolin backed away but couldn’t escape the heat. He turned around and found Omashu in exactly the same state. Lava flowed from the highest point and poured down the mail chutes, the streets themselves, burning it all away. The city built by the first earthbenders, gone.

And it was all his fault.

Everytime he turned away, it was the same. Gaoling. Yi. Zaofu. Republic City. All because he couldn’t see clearly. Couldn’t see how far Kuvira had fallen, that what he’d been ordered to do had lead to more death and destruction than he could have possibly imagined. And he thought he was helping, like an idiot.

That’s what he is. An idiot. An idealistic idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…

Why did Ghazan have to make it look so simple!? Why did he have to understand it?! Why didn’t he just keep it a secret and not use it as that great thing he can do to prove to Kuvira that he could help!? It was just like Mako and lightning. It only lead to death and pain and destruction and suffering.

Bolin could only destroy. Only living lavabender. He should never have taken pride in that.

“BOLIN! YOU HAVE TO STOP!”

Bolin shuddered and he was back in the swamp and everything was lava why was everything lava?! Korra and Opal were doing their best to cool it down with airbending, but it just kept coming and coming and oh crap he was doing it unconsciously. He could do that?! It didn’t matter. Bolin focused and stopped the flow of energy within the earth, halting the molten shift and cooling the lava around them in into harmless black rock.

Everyone almost died. Because of him.

He collapsed on the ground. “Everything was lava.”

Korra stared down at him, searching. “...what happened, Bolin? What did you see?”

“Everything. Omashu, Ba Sing Se, Zaofu...everywhere. Lava.”

Opal knelt down beside him and cupped his cheeks. “Bolin, here, look at me. None of that happened,” she said softly.  "It's all right.  Nothing is lava."

“I know that! But it could have been! Do you have any idea how close I was to actually teaching lavabending to Kuvira’s military?! It wasn’t for lack of trying! I just couldn’t figure out how to explain it!” He searched around them in a panic. “Where’s Mako?! Where’s...don’t tell me---”

Korra shook her head. “No, he’s fine. Or, well, he should be. He and Kuvira ran back to the Satohawk once you started turning everything into lava. There wasn’t much they could do.”

“At least he’s okay. Sorry.”

“Just be more careful, okay? The swamp can do crazy things to your head.”

Opal glared at her. “It can? And when did you plan on filling us in on that very important piece of information?”

“It wasn’t supposed to do anything to you guys! I thought it was just going to affect Kuvira, since the swamp apparently only helps people who deserve it.”

Bolin frowned. “So, it just hates me, then? Because none of what I saw looked like help to me! It was basically my worst nightmare!”

Korra scratched the back of her head. “Uhhh, the swamp works in mysterious ways?”

“Korra. This isn’t the time for jokes. Let’s just find Asami and get out of here.” He blinked and grabbed his hair. “This swamp is messing with my head. Did you hear what I just said? I sounded like Mako!”

“Is that...bad?”

“Well, no, but I didn’t sound like me, so that’s not great.”

“Okay, let me just make sure I have this right,” said Opal, rising to her feet and glaring even harder at Korra. “We’re going to be subjected to forced hallucinations because of the swamp.”

“Yes.”

“And you thought it was going to pick and choose.”

“...yes.”

“And these visions are so vivid that they can actually cause involuntary bending.”

“They, uh, yes. They can do that, I guess. Didn’t know they could. It’s just trying to help, though!”

“This isn’t helping! This is the opposite of helping!” yelled Bolin. “There are three of us and three directions! Let’s just split up and get this over with!”

“But what if one of us---”

“Then I’ll melt the swamp, okay? It’s all I’m good for, right? Lava lava lava lava!” he said, stomping off.

“Bolin, the footprints are gone.  You destroyed them when you were lavabending.” sighed Opal.

“Great! Now what do we do---Korra, where are you going, aaaand she’s gone.” Bolin sighed.

Opal smacked her forehead.

 

* * *

 

Mako wasn’t really surprised that he’d gotten stuck with Kuvira. He’d expected it to happen eventually, because everybody else would just have other things to do. That was just how things worked as of late.

They walked in silence through the swamp, retracing their steps back to the landing zone. Well, technically it was a crash site, but arguing semantics during moments of high tension was never a wise decision.

It occurred to him, however, that he was alone with the woman who had tried to murder his little brother. And he hadn’t been there to protect him, or help at all. It wouldn’t be so difficult to make it look like an accident, if he...were to abandon all of his morals.

Would that even be abandoning them, though?  Kuvira had tried to murder everyone he knew and loved.  She was a danger to herself, and everyone around her. Even if the United Republic had privately pardoned her, which he was not okay with, as an officer of the law it was his duty to ensure the safety of the citizens of that very same country.

She had also to throw Bolin into a prison camp.  Just the thought of it made his blood begin to boil, and every second longer he stared at the back of her head, it became more difficult for him to cool off.

Cool under fire.  Cool under fire.  Cool under fire.

Besides Raiko, would anyone actually care?  If he just killed her, right then.  Just hit her with a bolt of lightning.  Baatar Jr, maybe.  And that was a big maybe.  Korra might get pissed at him for a while, but he can’t imagine it would affect their friendship that much.  Bolin wouldn’t say a word.  Opal would be fine with it.  Asami would...if anything, that would only strengthen their relationship.  Mako remembered what it felt like to see a parent cut down in front of you.  It was impossible not to empathize.  It wasn’t even out of the question that Tenzin would look the other way, since Kuvira had threatened the very existence of the Air Nation.

It would be so easy to just take her down.  End her story, close the book, so everyone could move on and be done with her once and for all.  It would only take a second.  Even less than that, if he hit her in the chest.

If he had a coin, he might’ve just flipped for it.

“Mako!”

“Bolin?” Mako blinked and saw a massive bolt of lightning surging straight toward him. Not enough time to move. Couldn’t redirect it. He was thrown backward and skidded to a stop on the concrete, right below Bolin. He looked up to see a solid rock wall where he’d been moments ago.

Bolin helped him up to his feet. “Well, that was weird. Where do you think that came from?”

Mako narrowed his eyes at Bolin. “I don’t know. Weren’t we just in the swamp?” He turned back around toward the rock wall which was actually Kuvira. Staring at him with a very confused look.

“What is it?” she asked.

Now or never.  Make a choice.

“Nothing. It was nothing. We’re almost there, so let’s just keep moving.”

“Agreed.”

 

* * *

 

Korra sprinted through the brush as fast as she could. Asami was running from her, which was weird, but the swamp did crazy things to people. Calling out to her had done nothing. She didn’t even look over her shoulder.

Something had her terrified.

Korra charged through a curtain of ivy and small, loose vines and emerged in a pond surrounding a large, tall tree. Her boots splashed against the muddy water and Korra had the distinct feeling she’d been in that exact same spot before. Especially when she finally got a good look at Asami.

Asami stood before her, just in front of the tree, with a vaguely threatening expression. Her hair was wild, her makeup was smeared and most unsettling of all...her eyes were glowing a very dark red. Red light radiated out of from her, making her appear more spirit than human.

Korra frowned and cracked her neck. “I could have sworn I was done with you, but if you want a rematch, I guess it’s unavoidable. Dressing yourself up as Asami isn’t going to work, you know. The eyes and the light show make it pretty clear that you’re not her.” She paled. “Unless she was possessed by a spirit! Oh, crap that would explain this whole day---”

Asami’s brow twitched, unamused, and kicked off of the ground, leaping toward her at incredible speed. Korra rolled out of the way and reached out to the pond water, sending it streaming into Asami and freezing her from the neck down.

“So, what are you? A spirit? Am I hallucinating? Because the last time this happened, I was definitely not entirely hallucinating---”

Asami interrupted her again by...breathing fire onto her ice prison and freeing herself. Definitely not Asami. Not the real one. Because that was impossible. Right? It had to be an illusion. Just like the several hundred icicles that Korra was only dodging by a hair.

Korra erected a stone barrier to block the rest only for Asami to punch straight through it and yank her through the rest of the earth. She quickly grabbed Asami’s arm and threw her straight into the tree. Asami rebounded in midair with a burst of airbending and kicked arcs of fire and air straight at her, followed by two powerful streams of sand.

Wait, sand? Where did she find sand? They were in a swamp.

Korra bobbed, weaved and deflected the sand with her own wind. Okay, maybe it was difficult to actually attack Asami, even if it was clearly a fake. Asami couldn’t bend! Much less all four elements. Korra, remembering her cables, launched both lines at her, only for them to be redirected back on to her, binding her arms behind her back.

Asami wrung out her hands and mimed pulling a longsword out of its sheath, only there was actually a sword molding itself from the metal she’d somehow found. The blade reflected off of the pond. It looked absurdly sharp. Korra spun, pushing herself out of harms way with a gust of wind, and flexed her feet on the ground, desperate for some form of metalbending.

Korra managed to reform her cables into gauntlets just in time to catch Asami’s blade between them. Her boots sunk into the ground and the trees around them shuddered from the force of the impact. Korra grit her teeth and held them there for a few seconds, searching Asami for some sign of...anything. Anything that was behind her red eyes.

Nothing. Just red.

Which probably meant that the fake wasn’t nearly as competent at hand-to-hand as the real one.

Korra twisted her arms and snapped the blade in half. The tiny hint of shock on the doppelganger's face was nothing like Asami, which made it all the better. She swept Asami’s legs out from under her, slammed her into the ground and used her cables to bind her limbs behind her back.

“You’re a pushover compared to the real Asami,” she scoffed, pressing her knee down onto the center of her back. “She’d have figured something out that I couldn’t counter. Y’know. If she was evil, which she isn’t.”

Then, the cables were gone and Korra found herself thrown across the Sato estate’s gym, landing less than softly on the mat. Her clothes felt weird, and...everything smelled like fruit. Sweet, tender. Fruit. Why did she smell fruit in a gym?

“You really need to work on your hand-to-hand, Blue,” said Asami, her lips curving into the smallest of smirks. “After all, I can’t be expected to give you lessons in everything hands can do.”

Asami crouched into a ready fighting stance, but her right hand was gesturing somehow, miming an action that Korra didn’t recognize. It certainly didn’t have any obvious combat applications, so far as she could tell.

Korra shook it off, climbed back to her feet, and adopted a stance of her own. Pet names, again? Well, okay then. “Blue? Oh, my eyes. And clothes, I guess. That’s a new one. I know you’re not fond of ‘hot water’, but c’mon. You can do better than that, Noodles.”

Asami fell out of her stance, standing upright. She dropped the smirk, and replaced it with a quizzical stare, one eyebrow raised. “A new one?” Then, Asami’s eyes narrowed, examining Korra’s stance. She laughed, sudden awareness washing the previous question away. She regained her own stance, looking even more ready than before. “Oh, I get it now. Almost Blue, let’s call you. And if you call me Noodles even one more time, you’re getting a bullet between the eyes.”

Korra returned the quizzical stare. “I don’t know what that is, and I’m pretty sure I was just in the swamp which means you’re not actually real.  Probably.  That’s never been entirely clear…”

Asami gave her a dead stare. “You’re missing the point. You’re not you. You’re not Blue.”

Korra wrinkled her nose.  “Am I supposed to be?  I’m very confused right now.  Who’s Blue?”

Asami just shrugged. The look in her eyes was different. There was a deep pool of violence, just below the green. Her anger, the rage that had been boiling inside her a week ago, was back. Definitely not Asami.  Well, not the one she knew. “She’s a girl who wouldn’t stand like that, for one. It’s not a stance she knows. Not a stance I know, even, and that’s saying something, because I know every style worth knowing. Now, do you know why that is?”

“Uhm.” Korra glanced at herself. And her stance. She used it all the time. Asami had seen it plenty, because she’d taught it to her.  It just kept getting weirder. “I’m guessing it’s because you’re Asami, or at least you look like her.  She’s the most amazing and brilliant person I know. And she’s trained in self-defense classes since she was six, but there’s no way that those were just self-defense classes because I’ve seen self-defense. What she does is on a whole different level.”

“Why thanks, Almost Blue. I am amazing, and I am brilliant, and I am on an entirely different level, you’re right about that. I’d blush, but I know someone who might get awfully jealous, you being another Water Tribe girl and all. Unfortunately, you’re wrong about knowing me. I’m not your prissy little Asami. I’m Asami Fucking Sato. And I have to warn you, new style or not, you’re going to lose. Because here, I always win.”

Korra scoffed.  “Seriously?  You always win?  It’s a sparring match.  Get over yourself, Asami Fucking Sato.”  She narrowed her eyes.  “Wait, how do you even know this isn’t real---”

Asami charged forward, again, and Korra pivoted away, again and pulled her arm behind her back. And then she was immediately punched in the throat and swept off her feet. Korra choked and fell on all fours, realizing far too late that Asami wasn’t playing. Asami kicked her upside the head and pinned her to the ground, threatening to dislocated her shoulder.

“Hm.  It looks like Almost Blue wasn’t nearly close enough.”

“That was not sparring!” Korra coughed. “What the hell was that?! You could have crushed my windpipe!”

“You should be thanking me that I didn’t. You’re not Blue, but you’re going to give her back to me.” She twisted her arm further. “Now.”

And then Asami turned out to be a pile of rocks. Korra frowned and tossed them off of her. She kicked one of them into the pond and made a very unsatisfying splash.  She was getting the feeling that the new swamp didn’t work the same way as the old one.

 

* * *

 

Kuvira was in her Colossus again, standing strong on the center platform.

“We found the bodies, ma’am. Everyone in the warehouse, including Avatar Korra, are confirmed dead.”

Kuvira stumbled over a rock and steadied herself against a nearby tree. She stared down into the mud, eyes wide open and slowed her breath. What was...that wasn’t how it happened. No, she’d...some factory workers died, but her gambit was ultimately a failure.

Kuvira shook her head and continued forward, only to find her boot step onto the neck of a very murderous Lin Beifong, her body sprawled across the concrete. She was covered in dried blood and had more than a few new scars.

Lin spat up in her face. “You think you’ve won?  No chance in hell.  Somebody’s gonna take you down, no matter wha---”

Kuvira instinctively twisted her foot and snapped her neck. She gasped and backpedaled through the mud, straight into Mako. She forced her hands to stop shaking and hid her terrified, pale expression from him. “I apologize, I thought I saw...something. It wasn’t there.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Kuvira nodded and wiped the sweat off her brow. Was she...nothing she’d eaten contained any psychotropics, and she was still in the swamp. Were the vines the cause? Punishing her for abusing the spirits? Forcing her to live through...whatever that was?

She was piloting the Colossus again, walking past the Great Gates of Azulon.  The Fire Nation had acted quickly, to their credit. Out of all of the defensive systems they could have built to stand against her Colossus, she’d never expected for them to build one of their own. The logo stamped on the breastplate was even more surprising.

Future Industries. And here she’d thought she’d wiped the Sato line out years before. Hiroshi had built his own, and as it ran at her, she realized that Baatar had never designed her suit to withstand attacks from other giant mecha.

The blows they traded were devastating, and flattened much of Harbor City. Hiroshi’s mecha didn’t have spirit weaponry, but it had plenty of other weapons. Rockets, a giant plasma saw, and even a huge grappling hook.

The plasma saw had been the worst of it, as he’d managed to sever her left arm clean off. He’d been aiming for the right, the one with the cannon, but she’d anticipated that. She got a clean, direct hit into the other mecha’s chest with her good arm and sent it flying into the capitol.

Kuvira closed her fist and fired, absolutely obliterating the Fire Nation’s last bastion, and hope, in one move.

Then, she walked straight into a tree, getting swamp muck on her face, and forced herself to stop hyperventilating. The Fire Nation. Why the Fire Nation? What was the point?! She’d never planned to expand her empire beyond the land that was rightfully hers to begin with!  It was needless bloodshed!  Megalomania!

Kuvira leaned against the tree and signaled for Mako to wait a moment. “I think I may be coming down with something. I need to catch my breath.”

“I’ll say. You’ve been muttering nonsense for the past five minutes.”

“Was I? What was I saying?”

Kuvira was pulled out of her bed by a pair of massive arms that quickly attempted to snap her neck. She retaliated, reaching out for her armor’s metal strips and stabbing the assassin’s arms. He roared in pain and released her for a moment, and that was all she needed. She jumped backward, donned her armor properly and met the man’s eyes.

Blue. Enraged beyond comprehension.

“Tonraq?” she whispered.

Tonraq scowled and pulled the metal blades out of his arms. He didn’t seem to hear her, or he didn’t care, as he summoned all of the water from his four skins and unleashed a nightmarish barrage of attacks. Water whips, icicles, blades, boiling water, everything and anything. She could barely keep up, and all she could do was block or dodge.

Tonraq knocked her off of her feet and lunged forward, encasing his fist in a frozen blade the size of her head. She tried to deflect him with a boulder but he’d been ready for that, blasting it out of the way with a wall of water he’d already bent before moving. She screamed as she was struck right in the chest, and in one last act of defiance bent her armor into a blade and impaled Tonraq. He slumped over, the metal puncturing his heart, and Kuvira was positive she was going to die---

“No, not Tonraq. Something about a giant mecha fight. It sounded like mover stuff to me,” said Mako, snapping her back from...what might’ve been. “You really don’t look so good.”

“I…” Kuvira looked down at her trembling hands, and saw Baatar fiddling with something metal just below her breast, but...she couldn’t feel it. Why couldn’t she feel it?

“All right, that should do it for your tune up. I tried to make it as seamless as possible, but for the moment this is as good as it’s going to get, Kuvira.” He turned her toward the mirror. “It’s not perfect, but I still think you’re just as beautiful as ever.”

Kuvira wanted to vomit. Half of her upper body was replaced by some horrific metal contraption, glowing and pulsing purple in perfect rhythm with her heartbeat. Which she couldn’t feel.

She doubled over and pressed her palms into her chest, confirming that her body was still in fact flesh and blood. Feeling and hearing her own heart pound in her breast was good. She was okay. She wasn’t...she wasn’t inhuman. She wasn’t a monster. Not a literal one, nor a metaphorical one.

She wasn’t a monster.

“Mako? Kuvira? Where have you two been?!” asked Asami, standing just outside of the Satohawk. When did they get there?

“Us? We were looking for you! You wandered off into the swamp without any warning!”

“No, I didn’t. I turned my back for half a second and every single one of you vanished! What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. She’s been acting weird.”

Kuvira shivered uncontrollably and carefully sat down next to the Satohawk.  She rested her head against the hull, hugged herself and stared off into space.

She wasn’t a monster.

 

* * *

 

Asami raised a brow at the pale and shaking Kuvira. Sweating profusely. Maybe she’d get a fever and just...die. “Acting weird?  Weirder than this?”

Mako nodded. “Yeah. Really weird. She’s been talking to herself and acting a little unhinged the entire walk back. Nothing violent, but, honestly Asami, it’s starting to freak me out.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Where’s everyone else?”

“Still out looking for you.”

Asami tapped her chin.  “How big of a fireball can you make?”

“How big of one do you need?”

“Think you can make a signal flare?”

“Oh, easily.”  He looked up at the small gap in the swamp’s canopy that the Satohawk had made and shot an incredibly bright stream of fire into the air.  Once it had passed through the trees, it exploded and lit up the sky.

Asami smiled.  “Okay, that was pretty cool.”

“Thanks. Hopefully they see it, but I can always make a new one.”

“Yeah.” Asami crossed her arms and stared down the path that the pair had come from. How were they supposed to find their way back----oh, Bolin and Opal. The couple came sprinting into the clearing and stopped in front of her.

“What’s wrong? Why is there fire? Asami we’ve been looking everywhere for you! I almost melted the swamp what is happening right now, and what’s wrong with Kuvira?” sputtered Bolin.

Opal studied Kuvira closely. “I don’t think we want to know.”

“What?  Oh.  Woah. I don’t even want to think about what the swamp showed her.”

Mako grimaced. “What do you mean ‘showed’ her? Was the swamp doing that?”

“The hallucinations? Yeah. That’s what Korra said.”

“Did you know about this?”

“Not before...I had mine. Which we’re not talking about ever. Or, right now, at least.”

Asami sighed. “We assumed that Kuvira would be the only one affected, if anyone would be at all. It’s supposed to be a helpful spiritual nudge, or something.”

Bolin frowned. “Yeah. It wasn’t. At all.”

“Mine was, actually. I know understand the importance of my oath of non-aggression,” said Opal, staring off into space. “It’s very, very, very important.”

“You’d end up like Zaheer if you didn’t follow it, is that what you’re getting at?” asked Asami.

“...yes. Basically. It was scary, okay?”

“ASAMI!”

“Wha---” Asami turned and was instantly tackled to the ground by Korra. “I’m happy to see you, too, but I’m really sick of getting mud everywhere.”

Korra chuckled awkwardly, picked her up to her feet, dusted her off, and bent her clean. “Sorry. I was just really worried we’d lost you in the swamp!” She wrapped her in a tight hug. “What’s up with her?”

Mako sighed.  “She started muttering nonsense on our walk back.  If the swamp is the one causing these visions then…”

“Yeah.  She doesn’t even look responsive.” Korra winced. “Well, uh, now we know that she’s...actually trying to redeem herself.”

Opal shrugged. “I mean, yes that’s clearly true, but I would have been okay without what looks like psychological torture to confirm it.”

Bolin raised his hand. “I second that motion.”

Asami crooked her lips to the side. “Nobody’s going to disagree with you.”

An old woman cackled. “Shows what you know! Frankly, I think it was the perfect thing for her. Really drives the lesson into her big metal moron brain,” said a very grumpy old woman emerging from the brush. “I’d rather she be dead, but what do I know? I’m just some old lady who ended a war.”

Opal gasped and giggled. “Grandma Toph!” She sprinted up to the old woman and wrapped her in a big hug.

“Hey Toph,” said Bolin and Korra.

“Lavaguy. Korra.”

“It’s Bolin, actually.” corrected Bolin.

“I know. I’m old, not senile.”

Opal laughed. “Where have you been? I was worried I wouldn't see you again!”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry for making you worry. I really should visit more often, or the next time I see you I might be a great-grandmother. Or, greater, I guess,” she laughed. “Go on, introduce me to your friends. Maybe they’ll be a little less terrible than the first two. And the moron over there.”

Korra rolled her eyes.

“Please don’t insult Bolin, Grandma.”

“Fine. But only if I can still make fun of Korra.”

“Deal.”

Korra gasped, exasperated. “Seriously?! I’m right here!”

Asami shook her head. “Let it go. She won’t budge.”

“See, that girl gets it! Earthbenders don’t budge! Who’re you, anyway?” said Toph.

“Right! Sorry. Grandma, these are my friends Mako and Asami Sato.”

Asami smiled. “It’s quite an honor to meet you---”

“Honor?” Toph scoffed. “If you bow I’m going to dunk your head in mud. Cut it out.”

“Oh. Okay. It’s great to---”

“Wait, wait, wait, Sato?”

“That is my family name, yes.”

“You got a grandfather named Satoru?”

Asami’s eyes widened. “Uh, yeah. Wow, I’m surprised you remember that. Iroh said you met him a very long time ago.”

“I don’t forget good friends. What about the tall guy? Who’re you?”

Korra laughed. “...tall guy.”

Mako rolled his eyes. “Mako. Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, sure. What are you kids doing in the swamp, anyway? If it was just to torture Kuvira, then Korra you’re clearly not as terrible as I thought you were.  Feels like she’s running a fever. Otherwise, you still stink.”

Korra frowned. “Wow. Torture is now a deciding factor in a person’s opinion of me. That’s a new one.”

Asami sighed. “We’re here to figure out why, and, how the swamp grew back.”

Toph snorted into a loud laugh. “Seriously?! That’s all? What, did you honestly think that the metal idiot over there was the first one to cut down the swamp? Hundreds of people have done what she did! And it always grows back.”

“How do you even know this?”

“I take two minutes out of my day to read up on my history once in a while, that’s how. Lots of important stuff in there.  You kids could learn a thing or two.”

Asami crossed her arms. There were no historical records of that happening. “No, you don’t. You can’t read.”

Korra chuckled. “She’s got you there.”

Toph scoffed. “Whatever. I know everything because the vines know everything.”

Bolin, Mako, Opal and Korra looked between one another. “...honestly, that makes a certain kind of sense,” said Korra. “You’ve been in this swamp for more than ten years. Totally isolated, but you still knew about things happening in the world.”

“No. That doesn't make sense.” Asami pinched her brow. “That is by far the stupidest thing I've ever heard.”

“Really? What if I told you that the reason the swamp grows back is because nobody ever bothered to cut down the Tree of Time?”

Asami’s eyes widened. “...how do you know about that?”

Toph stomped her feet. “Where do you think these vines came from? They've been here long before Unalaq started tossing them all over the place. The portals might be where you can enter the spirit world, but both worlds are bound together by these big important trees. Because they’re the same tree. Sort of.”

Korra hummed. “Makes sense to me.”

Opal nodded. “About as much as the other spirit stuff, yeah.”

“I’m okay with this,” said Bolin.

Mako shrugged. “It’s not...impossible.”

Asami grit her teeth. “If that’s true, then we can’t stop the vines from growing back. This whole trip was pointless!”

“Kuvira’s having a mental breakdown and all of you kids had visions. I wouldn't call that pointless. They’re important because they...well, because they are! Something about what you need to see, or haven’t seen, or have yet to see. Spirit crap like that.”

Korra and Asami exchanged a look.

“Anyway! Now you know why and how the swamp grows back. Mission accomplished. Now go away and take that metal idiot with you.  Her constant shivering is giving me a headache.”

 

* * *

 

 

Asami methodically went through her pre-flight checks.  She'd repaired everything to working order, but the swamp was a crazy place.  It wouldn't hurt to be extra sure that they wouldn't just fall out of the sky on their trip home.  "Everyone strapped in?"

"Almost." Korra locked Kuvira into her seat, and the former tyrant wasn't looking any better than she had a few minutes ago.  Shivering, sweating, and pale.  Her eyes were glazed over, but she was lucid enough to pull Korra into a very tight hug before she walked away.  

Korra looked between everyone.  "I don't know how to react to this."

Kuvira let her go, bit her lip and bowed her head.  She rested her arms on her thighs and shook her head.  "I..."  She balled her hands into fists.  "I want to leave the swamp."

Korra nodded and sat down in her labeled seat, strapping herself in.  "Okay, we're good."

Asami gave the passenger cabin a thumbs up.  She lifted the Satohawk off the ground and swung their heading to the northwest.  She tilted forward and, in only a few seconds, they cleared the swamp's airspace.  Completely unaccosted.  A wave of relief washed over her as they streaked through the air toward Republic City.  The nightmare, their own personal nightmares, was over.  

Hopefully.

No one spoke for a long time.  Whether it was from the stress of the trip or simply the effect of their respective visions, she couldn't say.  Out of all of them, Asami didn't expect Kuvira to be the one to break the silence.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, staring at her boots. "I know those words are meaningless coming from me, and I don't ever expect forgiveness, nor do I truly desire or think I'll ever deserve it.  I just wanted to say it, because the alternative..."  She trailed off and her entire body shook.  "I cannot express to you how grateful I am for stopping me before it was too late.  All of you.  The path I had chosen lead only to madness and monstrosity."

Opal sighed.  "I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that, while we don't forgive you, we don't think you're lying either."

Kuvira slowly sat up straight.  "I don't understand."

"I don't know what you saw, but you're not going crazy.  The swamp was doing that; To help you move forward.  Apparently."

Kuvira narrowed her eyes at Opal. "You knew about this?  That I would be psychologically tortured if I were to enter the swamp?  This didn't happen the last time I was here."

Korra shrugged.  "Why should it have?  You weren't open to anything at the time.  Now, you are.  And I'd be thankful, if I were you.  I helped negotiate your punishment from execution all the way down to forced government work with a little bit of psychological torture.  The fact that you saw anything at all proves that you're not lying.  You really are trying to do better, and fix the mess you've made."

Asami frowned.  "In other words: I still hate you, but I don't think you're evil."

"Yes, exactly what she said.  Yes."  Bolin crossed his arms.  "And apparently everyone had one of those crazy visions except for Mako.  Lucky you."

Mako raised a brow.  "I had one.  You saved my life."

"How is that a vision?  I've done that like a dozen times!"

Mako shrugged.

Asami rolled her eyes and turned her full attention back to flying. The trip was still, mostly, a waste. For her, at least. She wasn't any closer to figuring out how to perfect her spirit vine defense system, and she basically just helped torture a war criminal. The vision with the portals that closed themselves. And the ones that didn't.

That was it. That was the key. If they could make a temporary, self-collapsing portal, she could solve the energy transfer problem entirely. And Vaatu had created the first portals, according to her books. And the vines were the same as his energy, if Korra’s gut was anything to go by.

Which it was.

Asami smiled.

Perhaps the trip wasn't a waste after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was, by a large margin, the single hardest chapter to write in terms of actual content. Discerning which character should have which kind of vision, and what those visions should be, wasn't easy. I knew I wanted Asami and Korra to have ones that 'they have yet to see', sort of like how Aang saw Toph in the original series, but the specifics were hard to get 'right'.
> 
> Y'know, cause there's lots of foreshadowing all over the place. 
> 
> Did those 'work', by the way? The visions? You can never be sure with stuff like that, especially since I tried to blend them with the scene itself instead of cutting away. I skipped over Opal's because it was basically just what Zaheer did. Assassinating people/being the sith instead of wandering jedi knights. Didn't need to rehash it.
> 
> Those F-Bombs don't count because they took place in an alternate reality. An amazing alternate reality, but still. Didn't count.
> 
> Toph knowing 'everything' is sort of actually implied in canon. How the hell could she have possibly known Katara didn't fight in the Water Tribe Civil War? 
> 
> Lastly, as you may have noticed, there were little-to-no italics in this chapter to denote emphasis in dialogue. I wanted to see if I was relying on it too much, and if what I was writing worked fine without it and if it was, y'know, totally unnecessary. I'd love to hear some thoughts on that!
> 
> Besides those specific things, as always, any and all feedback is greatly encouraged and appreciated! No matter how small, scathing, rambling or random your thoughts may be, I want to hear 'em! :D


	12. The Only Winning Move...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami throws a party against her will, and it's just...she hates parties.
> 
> This is why she hates parties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by BSG-Legacy
> 
> Sorry for the delay. Had to rewrite this a bunch of times (at one point it was basically Die Hard at Republic City...City Hall, so, uh, no that didn't work), and it wasn't the easiest of weeks.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Seven Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Early Spring, 175 A.G._

 

“This really isn’t my kind of party!” Asami gripped her dress and scowled at Kuvira. “Thanks for that!”

Kuvira frowned. “I’m just as angry as you are!”

“How?! You don’t live here!”

“Human lives are worth more than—-”

Korra smacked Kuvira on the back of the head. “Shut up.”

Artana tossed Asami a metalbent sword. “That’s about as sharp as it can get. Are you ready?”

Asami carefully sliced off the bottom half of her floor length dress and balled up the cloth. She handed off the red lump to Opal. She inspected the blade for a moment. It had been a few years since she’d held one, and the one she was wielding was lighter than what she was used to, but she felt her muscle memory flowing into place. “Yeah.”

Swords weren’t her weapon of choice. They were far too easy to kill with. Kyoshi Warrior fans, though? She adored those. They weren’t anywhere near as practical as her shock-glove, though.  At least, not yet. Asami made a mental note to get back to practicing those once everything was said and done.

Korra nodded. “Okay! On my count.” She held up three fingers. “Three.”

Asami took a small breath.

“Two.”

She brought up the schematics in her mind’s eye.

“One.”

She bit her lip.

“NOW!”

Korra and Opal rolled out from behind the couch and sent two powerful gusts of wind straight at the VarriMech. One to the chest, and the second to the helmet, covering it with remains of Asami’s dress. It stumbled but bolted its feet to the ground just as it moved straight into the path of Bolin, Artana and Kuvira’s barrage of marble. The mecha suit twisted aroundshot a stream of fire out of its arm, which Mako charged and dissipated effortlessly.

That was her opening.

Asami vaulted over her loveseat, sliced open the access panel and smacked the emergency shutdown button. Well, all of the buttons. She couldn’t tell which was which at the moment. The mecha suit whirred to a stop and slouched. She sprinted around to the front, pried open the helmet, and helped Mako toss the pilot out her seat.

Kuvira pinned the pilot to the wall with a pair of metalbent cuffs. “Stand down.”

“Great Uniter! Why have you betrayed us!? We gave our—-”

Kuvira slapped a metal strip on the woman’s mouth and grimaced. “They’re not going to stand down.”

“I figured as much.” Asami sighed. “Okay, we’ll try one more time, once we get them all into one place. If that doesn’t work, then we’ve only got one option.”

Korra raised a brow. “Which is?”

“Freeze them.”

 

 

 

_Earlier that day..._

It was time.

Asami closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. Months of work, research and fear. Translating long dead dialects from books older than time itself. Anger and bile clouding her judgement. Exhausting trial and error. Demoralizing setbacks and destruction. Weeks with little to no sleep.

An impossible task, but of course no such thing existed. Nothing was impossible. Not for her, not for anyone.

Asami’s hand rested on the miniaturized spirit cannon’s controls. Building the weapon had been frighteningly easy, but then that might have just been her team’s abundance of experience in the subject. The implosion device, ironically named the ‘Unity Defense System’, had been the true triumph of brilliance, perseverance and innovation.

In theory.

Well, no, that wasn’t strictly true. It had been tested several hundred times, but the leaders of the world needed a live fire demonstration to ensure that what they’d be purchasing wasn’t simply a fluke. It was standard protocol, of course, but that didn’t stop Asami from feeling extremely nervous about accidentally assassinating Korra’s father, her cousins, Fire Lord Izumi, ‘Not Really A King, I Promise’ Wu, and President Raiko at the same time.

The mountain ranges just north of Republic City proved to be the perfect testing ground. Far away from the public eye, so as not to incite a panic, and if anything went wrong...well, the city would be safe. Still, she found herself feeling a distinct sense of dread due to the fact that their final demonstration zone had been the very same abandoned airfield her father had once tried to kill her in.

Dread in the sense that ‘bad things happened here’, as opposed to the...alternative. In her head, when planning the day, it had made so much sense to forcibly re-associate the airfield in her mind with victory and happiness, rather than grief and betrayal. She was no longer sure it was the best idea.

Asami shook her head free of those stray, foreboding thoughts and quintuple checked the cannon’s status dials. Everything, again, was in working order. Maybe she just couldn’t press the button. Artana had assembled it, since Varrick and Zhu Li had refused to go near the idea. She couldn’t force herself to do it either.

Her hands were clean, and they’d stay that way for as long as possible.

The original demonstration plan had been to detonate one bomb to show the destruction it could cause, and then show the effects of her implosion device with a second bomb. However, that plan had to be scrapped since a bomb wasn’t the iconic spirit weapon seared into the pages of history. A cannon had to be built, because that was the most ‘obvious and direct’ threat to the nations of the world, as they’d seen it before.

She looked up to at the government airship and bit her lip. She’d done it a hundred times during testing, half the time with bombs, but that was then. It wasn’t real, back then. Failure wouldn’t obliterate the leaders of the world in the blink of an eye.

“Artana, may I use your radio?” asked Asami.

“Of course.” Artana nodded, unclipped it from her belt and tossed it to her. “Is something the matter?”

“No, just covering my bases,” she said with a nervous smile. She tweaked the frequency to the one she knew Korra would have on her. Asami had planned ahead for quite nearly everything, after all. “You’re sure you can’t convince them to pull the airship out of the potential blast radius? There’s always the chance it could explode.”

_“My dad has more confidence in you than he knows what to do with, which means he’s not going to budge. Even for me.”_

Bolin clapped her on the back. “I’m not leaving either, if that makes you feel better. And I’m literally right next to the thing.”

“Thanks.” Asami frowned. “Korra, I have most of your family’s life in my hands, and he’s all right with that,” she deadpanned.

_“Nobody is going to die today, Asami. Everyone up here knows that. Just fire the cannon and show everyone just how amazing I already know you are. Don’t think of this as a weapons test. Think of it like a fancy light show!”_

Asami smiled, but only a little. “Okay, but just in case—-”

_“Nope.”_

“Korra, I—-”

_“Can’t hear you, turning off the radio—-”_

“Korra? Korra. Korra!” Asami frowned and tossed the radio back to Artana. She looked between Varrick and Zhu Li. “Everyone ready?”

Varrick raised a brow. “We’ve been standing here like idiots for ten minutes. Of course we’re ready! Come on! Let’s show them the biggest, flashiest, most amazing light show they’ve ever seen!” He laughed and pumped his fist. “We’re gonna burn it right into the back of their eyeballs!”

Artana snickered. “I share most of his sentiment.”

Zhu Li smiled and nodded.

Bolin gave her two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Asami swallowed and looked out toward the pillar in the center of the clearing. “Okay, here we go. Firing in three, two, one…” She pulled the firing control lever and the cannon spun to life.

She held her breath.

Purple light flickered in the barrel and shot out in a tight beam. It made it halfway to the pillar before the energy exploded in a brilliant flash of light, freezing it in place. Slowly and steadily, the spirit energy swirled around the crackling pillar. It spun faster and faster until it vanished completely.

The pillar shot out a green signal flare.

Asami exhaled into a big, stupid grin. The world no longer had to live in constant fear of spirit weapons. Except for the one she was using, of course. Thankfully, Asami had planned for that too. The best part was that only three people knew about it.

Korra landed right beside her and collapsed her glider. “We’ve got maybe a minute before Raiko figures this out.” She tossed it to Asami and methodically bent the non-platinum components of the spirit cannon into a condensed metal block.

Bolin cracked his knuckles and neck. He enclosed the metal block in a cube of earth and sank it into the ground. Then, with a series of gestures she still wasn’t quite familiar with, turned the earth into lava. The molten rock flowed in time with his hands and then solidified into harmless, worthless black stone. “Aaaaaaand done.”

Varrick high-fived Bolin. “Lavatime! Haha!”

“Heh. Yeah.”

Artana sighed. “I spent a week on that, and you just melted it in all of thirty seconds.”

Bolin frowned. “Sorry.”

Varrick slung his arm around her shoulders. “Well, then do I have good news for you! The day isn’t even close to being over, because tonight—-TONIGHT!” He snapped his fingers at Asami. “We’ve got ourselves a party thrown by the United Republic’s most stylish industrialist.”

Asami narrowed her eyes. “What party? I’m not throwing a party.”

“You’re not?” asked Bolin.

Korra scratched the back of her head. “I was also told that there would be a party. So were my cousins, my dad, Raiko, the Fire Lord...”

Asami smacked her forehead. “Varrick. Why did you tell them I was going to throw a party after this?”

“You can’t be serious.” Varrick stared at her incredulously. “The better question is why wouldn’t you throw the biggest, most extravagant and loudest party in history?! We just saved the world! Not celebrating that would be just as bad as failure!”

“No, it wouldn’t.”

“Well, too bad! I already planned and organized it as a surprise, specifically for you! ”

Asami pinched her brow. They hadn’t even saved the world. Not really. “All right. Where is it being held?”

“Your place. Where else would it be?”

Asami massaged her temples. “Okay. Wow.”

Korra frowned. “Varrick, you have to fix this.”

“He can’t,” sighed Asami. “Cancelling this kind of thing last minute would make it seem like I’m hiding something, specifically that the defense system doesn’t actually work. Which it does.”

“If I were you, I’d simply post a bouncer outside of your estate with a list of who is allowed to attend,” said Artana. “Treating your home like an exclusive jazz club may make the night that much easier. And I think it’d be nice to celebrate what we’ve accomplished. It’s not everyday that we can say we made the world a safer place.”

Asami slowly nodded. “That’s true. We should be celebrating a little. We’ve accomplished the impossible, and…” She smiled. “I do like the idea of my home being a trendy nightclub, if only for an evening.”

Korra smirked. “It does sound pretty fun, doesn’t it?”

“Mhmm. The only problem is that, while I can kick the press out, I’ll still have to entertain Raiko.”

Zhu Li smiled softly. “No, you don’t. He’s quite easy to drink under the table.”

“How do you know that?”

Varrick waved his hands dismissively. “Don’t ask! I’ve just learned to accept that Zhu Li knows things that are completely impossible to know—-”

“Iknik and I were attending a gala with him several years ago. It was the first time he’d had...traditional water tribe alcohol.”

Korra and Bolin exchange a look and broke out into loud, boisterous belly laughter.

 

* * *

 

“....and furthermore, those spirit vines you’ve been using for research are United Republic property! You cannot simply destroy samples of them whenever you want, and that includes prototype weaponry that, by extension, belongs to the government,” ranted Raiko.

Asami frowned. Of course he and his seemingly innumerable followers had been the first to arrive. Hadn’t he ever heard of being fashionably late?

She had tried to salvage the evening in order to make it a fun and celebratory get together between close friends and family, but no. No, of course Raiko had to turn it into a political function. Asami didn’t have the slightest clue as to how he’d managed to summon the entirety of Republic City’s political and business scene to her home with less than a day’s notice, but somehow he’d done it.

For a politician, the man could be very petty.

Asami took a ‘polite’ sip of her drink. She’d started out with red wine, just to take the edge off, but once her front door had been flooded with people whom she’d spoken to less than her own shoes, she switched to liquor. Good liquor. Delicious, smooth liquor that wouldn’t stain her dress like the wine would.

They were both red, but different shades of red, so...it’d still stain. What was Raiko talking about?

“Mister President,” she cleared her throat. “I don’t care. Fine me. Send me a bill. I really just don’t care.”

“It’s far more serious than that, Miss Sato. If I wanted to, I could have you charged for treason.”

“Really.” Asami narrowed her eyes. “You’re well aware that would be political suicide. By attacking me, you’re attacking one the single largest and philanthropic conglomerates in the world, as well as the Avatar, and by extension the entire Air Nation.” She downed the rest of her drink. “Here’s a thought. Maybe instead of berating me for not being your pretty little puppet, you could ask Future Industries for assistance in addressing the rather enormous mass of refugees just outside the city limits?”

Raiko frowned. “The war isn’t over. What needs to happen for me to convince you of that?”

“An actual war might help."

“Asami! Hey! Hey, hey! How’s my favorite super lady doing?” said Wu as he hugged her in a way that was way too friendly to be described as appropriate. The second he wasn’t ‘Interim Regent’ of the Earth-Something, she was going to smack him across the face so hard his great aunt would feel it from beyond the grave. “Could I borrow the illustrious President Raiko from you for several hours? Thaaaaaaaaaank you!”

And then Wu dragged a very infuriated Raiko away from her and over somewhere else. Oh. Perhaps she should send him something nice as a thank you. Wine. Bottle of wine. Everyone loved a good bottle of wine.

“I told him that he could ride Naga if he got Raiko out of your hair for the rest of the night,” said Korra, slipping her arm around her waist. The blue dress she’d helped her pick out was...a lot of dangerously enticing words. Asami wasn’t quite so eloquent at the moment, so she decided on drop dead gorgeous and—-why can’t the stupid party be over so she could properly admire it.

Her. Whichever.

“You are a shrewd and beautiful negotiator.”

“I am both of those things, yes,” said Korra. “Joke’s on him, though. Naga is very particular.”

“He’s going to wet himself all over her saddle.”

“Good thing I’m a waterbender. So, are you done meeting and greeting all of the important people yet?”

“Everyone except for your dad and the Fire Lord.”

“Perfect. Oh, and look at that, you need another drink. Up for a real one this time?”

“Mhmm.” Asami raised a brow at the growing number of people flooding into her estate. The yards, all of them, were filled to capacity, and she was pretty sure that her sitting room and library were occupied too. The kitchen, oh my, the kitchen was...she wasn’t going back in there. It was insanity. “Wait, how much more real does it get than whiskey—-” Her eyes widened and she slowly grinned. “No way. You found some?” she whispered.

“You bet your perfect butt I did!” Korra giggled and nuzzled her cheek. “Which I may have sampled. Maybe.”

“Maybe, huh?” she said coyly.

“I can maybe tell you that my dad is really, really, really good at brewing it.”

“Your dad made it? How did he know I was throwing a party against my will?”

Korra wrinkled her nose. “You’re not the only one who has trouble getting through one conversation with Raiko, you know. Well, that, and it’s almost impossible to find this far away from the Water Tribes. If it’s not filtered through a glacier, it’s not authentic.”

“It makes way too much sense that your breath smells like diesel right now.”

Korra wiggled her eyebrows. A lot. Cruel. Cruel, cruel, cruel.

Asami bit her lower lip. “Stop that.”

“Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, no.”

“Where’s everyone else hiding out?”

“Sitting room. Bolin and Opal started making out and everyone else just left.”

Asami laughed. “That’s fantastic. Shall we depart, then?”

Korra smiled. “We shall.”

 

* * *

 

Kuvira was very tired of Raiko’s manipulative antics.

Forcing her, by executive decree, to attend Ms. Sato’s impromptu celebration would only cause unnecessary distress and animosity between herself and everyone close to her. As if everything wasn’t bad enough, she just couldn’t shake the feeling that the estate itself was glaring at her.

The fact that Raiko hadn’t provided her with her typical escorts was also very odd and disconcerting. Were they starting to trust her? Was he testing her? She wasn’t going to run. Even if she had somewhere to go, she wouldn’t. Her job wasn’t done.

Her simple United Forces dress uniform, despite her not actually being a part of it, was all she had in terms of formal wear. It was, after all, provided for her by one of Raiko’s aides. It wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, but red was not her color.

She’d entered through the front door, past the security VarriMechs, thankfully out of Ms. Sato’s field of view for the moment, and immediately made herself scarce by staying right next to the open bar. Ms. Sato would have no need to go there, she hoped.

However, something in her gut told her that it was good fortune that she’d been dragged there that night, of all nights. It was a sense of inevitable dread, though if she were being honest, she did often get philosophically introspective when drinking, so it could’ve simply been that.

But she seriously doubted it.

Kuvira looked up from her drink and surveyed the ever growing crowd. Something was off.

She recognized too many of those people. While she had been become reasonably acquainted with many of the world’s diplomats and foreign dignitaries in the past three years, they didn’t number quite that many. There were hundreds in attendance, and Kuvira knew she’d seen the faces of nearly two-thirds of them. Not just in passing, but multiple times.

And then she noticed how they were wading through the crowd. They were searching for someone. Searching for…

Her.

Kuvira’s heart dropped into her stomach. They were all going to die because she’d gotten them too riled up. Too fanatical. That is, unless she was able to get to Korra first. If she explained the situation there was a chance they could convince them to stand down and surrender. A slim chance, but a chance all the same. Finding Korra without drawing attention to herself, however, was going to prove quite the challenge. The Sato estate was enormous. But she couldn’t fail. Not with so many of her people’s lives on the line.

 

* * *

 

Asami Sato did not get plastered. She did not get jazzed, corked, or drunk. She did, however, learn very quickly that Southern Water Tribe mash liquor was about as strong as alcohol could possibly get.

And that it really wasn’t the time for a party. Everyone was relaxed, sure, and that was indeed a blessing, but they hadn’t really...won yet. There wasn’t enough to celebrate, and they all seemed to feel it.

Varrick leaned over the couch and rested his head between Korra and Asami. “Okay. I’ll be the first to admit that I might have gotten a little too excited with this whole ‘saving the world’ thing. But do we have to mope around?! Come on! It’s a party!”

Asami stuck out her tongue. “We’re not moping! I’m not moping. Korra, are you moping?”

Korra chuckled and moved Varrick’s head so she could lie down in her lap. “Nope. I’m actually super happy right now.”

Varrick raised a brow. “You don’t look happy. You look sleepy.”

“I’ve achieved inner peace,” she said haughtily.

Mako snickered. “Really? You want to try lightningbending again?”

“No. Shut up.”

“It’ll just blow up in your face if you’re lyinggggggggg.”

Korra threw a pillow at him and pouted. “That happened one time. One time.”

Asami ran her fingers through Korra’s hair, playing with it. “You are the cutest drunk.”

“Not drunk.”

“Oh, so you’re just imbalanced?” teased Opal.

“Yea—-No. Nope. Nice try!”

“Guys. You guys.” Bolin looked up from his commandeered tray of appetizers. “I just had the best idea.”

Opal shook him lightly and grinned. “What? What is it?”

“We should start a band!”

“A band?”

“Yeah! A band!”

Korra snorted into a laugh. “What? Why would we start a band?”

“Hm, I’m not sure, let me think about that for a second—-because it’d be awesome!”

Mako snatched a skewer of meat off of his brother’s tray. “You can’t play an instrument.”

“So? I’ve got charisma and stage presence, and the rest of you can learn fast, so that’s taken care of. Oh, and Asami would be the lead singer, so we don’t even need to be talented.”

Asami bit her knuckles as she laughed. “No! No, oh, you don’t want that. I’m even worse than my mother!”

Bolin groaned and collapsed further into the other couch. “Finnnnnnne, okay, no bands. Even though ‘Asami and the Fire Ferrets—-”

Opal raised a brow. “So, would that make me a Fire Ferret?”

“Okay, okay, Opal and the Fire Fe—-”

Asami cleared her throat.

Bolin rolled his eyes. “Opal and the Future Industries Fire Ferrets would be—-”

Varrick waved his arms around frantically. “Forgetting somebody?! Specifically me?! And Zhu Li?!”

Zhu Li chuckled.

Bolin huffed and smacked his cheeks a few times. “ALL RIGHT! Opal and the Future Industries Fire Ferrets, sponsored by Varrick Industries International! Okay?! Are we all okay with our imaginary band name now?!”

Asami shrugged. “Not really. Why would our band have two sponsor companies that are in direct competition with one another? It doesn’t make any sense, especially since I’d be a part of the band in the first place.”

Bolin buried his head in his hands. “I give up. I don’t want to make a band anymore.”

 

* * *

 

Artana whistled as she washed her hands in the ladie’s powder room. Perhaps she’d spoken too soon about celebrating, as Raiko had ruined any hope of the evening turning into anything resembling that. Exclusive club? Hardly. All of his insufferable cronies and...well, she didn’t know them personally, but Asami had complained about them enough for her to get the general idea of their...mental climate.

To put it kindly.

At the very least, though, she’d gotten the chance to become more familiar with the Sato estate, which was absolutely gorgeous, and far more practical than the Palace of Ba Sing Se ever was. It had to be. Asami had over forty people, none of whom were blood related to her, living on the grounds.

Such altruism from a woman in her position was rare, in Artana’s experience.

She idly wondered if there were any secret passageways. That would be fun.

The door opened behind her and Artana raised a brow as she saw a familiar woman’s face reflect in the mirror. Odd. “Occupied…” Artana turned around and narrowed her eyes at the woman. “Shu?”

“Sorry!” The woman’s eyes lit up. “Artana? Oh! I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I could say the same about you,” she said, drying her hands.

Shu shrugged. “Well, it was bound to happen eventually. There aren’t many people in our line of work as there used to be, after all.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Artana blinked. “How did you know there was a bathroom up here? There are public ones outside for the party.”

“I didn’t feel like waiting in line, Artana. And you’re one to talk, since you’re also here.”

Artana wrinkled her nose. “...as one of the key engineers of the Unity Defense Grid. I’ve been working quite closely with Asami, and I don’t think she would appreciate you using her private bathroom.”

Shu studied her closely for a moment. “You’ve certainly made yourself at home here, haven’t you?”

Artana chuckled. “Of course. I’ve got full citizenship. Why, has the paperwork not gone through for you, yet? If that’s an issue, I can see about getting it expedited. For old time’s sake. Asami has a surprising amount of influence in the United Republic. More than I could have predicted.”

“What? No, we’re all here on temporary papers. You’re fully integrated, I take it?”

Artana narrowed her eyes. ‘We?’ Temporary papers? The borders were closed. They had been for months. “I’ve been here for months, Shu. It wasn’t so difficult.”

Shu cleared her throat and scratched the back of her head. “Oh! Oh, I’m sorry. I misunderstood. I thought we were here for the same reason.”

Artana gripped the hand towel just a little tighter. “So did I. You know, I wish I’d known ahead of time that you would all be in town. It would’ve been nice to have dinner with old friends.”

“Well, you know how these things go. Move fast, or don’t move at all.”

There it was. Assumptions. Misplaced trust. Amateur.

Artana snapped the towel into Shu’s eyes, causing her to stumble backward. She kicked her into the wall, cracking the wallpaper. Artana twisted her fingers with one hand, locking the door, and used the other to bind Shu to the wall with the room’s fixtures. “Why are you here, and who else is with you?”

Shu coughed and looked at her incredulously. “You—-You defected?!”

Artana scoffed. “After all the blood, sweat and tears I put into the Earth Empire? Are you insane? I’m not about to write off the most productive three years of my life simply because Kuvira surrendered.”

Shu considered her for a moment. “...then why did you just kick me into the wall?”

“This isn’t a short term goal for me, Shu. It’s the long game. I can’t afford a single misstep.”

“Oh. I was not briefed on this.”

Artana tilted her head. “General Yao is still the fool, I take it. He’s fully aware of what job I’d taken while—-nevermind that, what are you doing here? I didn’t even know about this party until today.”

“Neither did we, but we’ve been tracking the Great Uniter’s movements ever since she was ‘pardoned’. She follows a strict pattern, though it doesn’t seem like she’s doing so willingly.” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “She’s here tonight, and with the crowds as large as they are, it’s the best time to extract her.”

Artana’s brows vanished into her hairline. “She’s here? Why? That’s…” And then it clicked. “Oh. She’s bait. Clever.”

“Bait? For who?”

“For you. I never said I didn’t defect.” Artana punched her in the throat, collapsing her windpipe.

Shu choked, struggled to breath, and collapsed entirely. It wouldn’t take long for the rest of her body to fail.

“You never did learn the meaning of true patience.”

Artana scowled. She should have seen that coming. Raiko using Kuvira as bait to lure out loyalists. But for what purpose? How had they managed to cross the border unassisted?

And most importantly: Why was that particular loyalist faction unaccounted for?

She could answer those questions later. For the time being only one thing was important.

Stopping the loyalists.

 

* * *

 

Kuvira walked briskly down one of the many, many halls of the Sato estate. She was keenly aware that she was being tailed by three expert metalbenders, so time, and luck, were of the essence.

Neither had been on her side for a very long time.

They wouldn’t attack her, she knew that, but she had the sinking feeling that making contact with them would be bad for everyone involved. They’d been riled up into a frenzy if they thought ‘rescuing’ her was a rational plan.

Kuvira kept her ears open, waiting and listening for a sign, something, anything, of Korra and her friends.

“...well, then we’ll find a window, and I’ll show you how much inner peace I have! How about that?!” barked Korra as she threw open a large doorway a few feet in front of her.

“Korra! Calm down, it’s just a joke!” yelled Mako from within the room.

“Yeah, well your jokes have a bad habit of pissing me off! Is knowing how to strike every nerve part of being a detective or something? Because if it is, I can see why you’re so great at it!”

“It sort of is, actually.”

“Ugh! That’s just—-” Her eyes narrowed as she finally noticed Kuvira. “What are you doing here?”

Kuvira ran up to her. “Fanatical loyalists have infiltrated the estate. They’re most likely trying to extract me, by force if necessary.  We need to stop them."

Korra’s eyes widened and violently yanked her inside of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. “Okay! Party just got interestingggggg! Everybody hear that, or does the ‘Great Uniter’ have to repeat it?”

Kuvira frowned. “How much have you had to drink?”

Opal hummed. “Collectively, or individually?”

“Both.”

Bolin clapped his hands together. “Too much! Also, not enough!”

“I can’t believe this.” Asami rose from the couch and growled. “Another home invasion?! Well, that’s just fantastic! You know what I’m doing tomorrow?! I’m going to electrify my floors! And booby-trap everything!”

Korra snickered.

“Focus, Korra.”

“Right, sorry.”

Mako slapped his cheeks a few times. “Okay, okay, okay. How many of them are there?”

Kuvira winced. “I’m not sure. If I had to guess...fifty.”

Asami’s eyes twitched. “Fifty.” She marched over to Kuvira and yelled in her face. “This is my home! You brought terrorists into my home! How is it possible that, even after we’ve beaten you, you’re still screwing things up for us?!”

"This is not my doing."

“She's telling the truth.  It’s not her,” said Artana, slipping into the sitting room and shutting the door behind her. “It’s Raiko. He’s been using her as bait to get her loyalists to come out of hiding and make a play for her. There’s no other explanation for them being here tonight, since the party was impromptu. Unless the organizer leaked information.”

Korra stared blankly at Artana. “How can you possibly know that?”

“I didn’t study just engineering. I have a degree in Political Science from Ba Sing Se University, as well.”

“It’s true. She does,” said Kuvira and Asami, in unison.

Asami frowned and slapped Kuvira.

“Stop that!” Kuvira scowled, rubbing her cheek. "You've clearly had far too much to drink." 

 

Korra pinched her brow. “All right. So, we’ve got around fifty metalbenders.”

Artana cleared her throat. “It should be closer to forty-six, actually.”

Korra gave her a small nod. “Okay, forty-six. And they’re hiding. Can’t you just ask them to stand down, Kuvira?”

“I was going to attempt that yes. However, I think it might be more effective if you were there beside me. You still hold political clout in the former Empire, as you are the Avatar.”

“Makes sense—-”

The sitting room doors exploded inwards and smashed into the back wall. A VarriMech, without Empire markings, had punched them open. Everyone dove behind the furniture narrowly avoiding the electrified net it shot out of its arm.

Asami slammed her palm against the floor. “Varrick! How do we beat these things—-”

“An—-”

“Without using an electromagnetic pulse! I am not rewiring my entire house!”

“Fine! Fine, fine, fine.” Varrick rolled his eyes. “There’s an emergency shutdown button behind one of the back panels! If you hit that, the power plant will shut off temporarily!”

Kuvira clenched her fists. “It’s platinum lined. We can’t bend it open.”

Bolin ripped the sleeves off his suit. Kuvira did not have the time nor patience to question that. “I can maybe melt it open. And the whole thing. I’ve never tried to lavabend drunk before.”

“Too dangerous.” Asami drummed her fists into the ground. “But we might be able to cut it open.” She snapped her fingers. “Okay, I’m more than a little tipsy, but I’m pretty sure this idea is brilliant. Here’s what we’re gonna do…”

 

* * *

 

"Stand aside!"

Asami charged forward in the VarriMech and leaped off her balcony. She landed in the center of her foyer, knocking a dozen guests off of their feet, and couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of deja vu. And nausea. She’d really had too much to drink.

She was surrounded by her guests, all of them in formal wear. It was impossible to tell which of them were the loyalists just from a glance. However, they’d come up with two ways to counter that. The first was to keep using Kuvira as bait to lure them all into one place.

“Those of you in attendance that claim loyalty to the Great Uniter are urged to listen!” said Asami, putting on her best ‘not-drunk-at-all’ business voice. “For she has words for you! Important words! That you should be listening too...okay, you know what, just look at the top of the stairs.”

In the event that failed, they would just attack all of the combatants that engaged the VarriMech she was piloting. She liked the first idea better. Asami looked around her and spotted Tonraq. She waved the VarriMech’s arm, mimicking a waterbending move she’d seen Korra use a thousand times. Tonraq seemed to understand her meaning and nodded, slowly vanishing within the crowd. Hopefully, he was going to find his niece and nephew.

“Loyal subjects of the former Earth Empire!” said Kuvira, her voice booming over the foyer as if she had a microphone. Talk about stage presence. “I truly appreciate the effort, loyalty and resolve you have shown in this endeavor. But I am in no need of rescue. The war is over.” She paused folded her hands behind her back. “I surrendered willingly. I am not here under duress, nor have I have been, in my own personal opinion, treated unfairly. Please, for the sake of your lives, I urge you to stand down and surrender yourselves to the United Republic. No one needs to die today.”

The crowd was silent for a long, tense moment.

“THE AVATAR BRAINWASHED HER!”

“SHE’S A BLOODBENDER!”

“SAVE THE GREAT UNITER!”

“Wow! Look at all the political clout I have, Kuvira! It’s allllll over the place!” yelled Korra.

“Okay, you morons asked for it!” Asami smacked her head against the inside of the helmet as a flurry of metal strips and rocks began slamming into her. “Plan B!”

From the top of the stairs, Mako and Korra shot large fireballs at her curtains, setting them ablaze. The smoke immediately set the fire suppression system off, and water rained down from the ceiling. Little by little, the combatants were frozen in place by streams of water coming from every direction.

Korra, Tonraq, Eska and Desna were doing a bang up job. Probably even better than a giant magnet, if she had one. Well, one that was assembled. And not in the sub-basement.

Opal and Tenzin kept the loyalists from grounding themselves, while Bolin, Mako, Artana and Kuvira were focused on suppressing them. Kuvira managed to pin a few to the walls and floors with metalbent cuffs, but since they were fighting metalbenders it only slowed them down. Artana, on the other hand, seemed to be using their own metal against them, but with similar success.

But then something happened that Asami hadn’t foreseen.

They ran out of water.

The remaining loyalists continued to tear apart her home, destroying her marble floors again, and she launched net after net, capturing those she could, but the fight wasn’t going to end anytime soon. She was going to run out of nets, and they were going to resort to taking hostages, since not all of her guests had managed to flee quite yet—-

“Eska!” yelled Tonraq.

One of the loyalists, a large man with a full beard, held Eska at knifepoint and dragged her into the center of room. Eska, to her credit, did not seem phased by it at all. “Okay! See?! Let’s trade! Your precious Water Tribe Chief for our Great Uniter!”

“I have been fighting you people for the last twenty minutes!” screamed Kuvira. “And she’s one of the Chiefs of the Northern Water Tribe!”

“We’re independent! There’s a difference!” yelled Desna, Eska, Tonraq, Varrick and Korra simultaneously.

The loyalist didn’t seem to care too much about how politically correct his hostage negotiation was. “What does it matter?! The Avatar is controlling—-”

Korra groaned from the top of the stairs. “I can’t even do that! That’s so stupid! You’re so stupid! Eska, how did this even happen?!”

Eska rolled her eyes. “We ran out of water. What was I supposed to do? Scream ‘oh no I am being taken hostage, someone rescue me for I am incapable of defending myself’?”

Desna scoffed. “That would have accomplished nothing.”

The rest of the loyalists grouped up behind the Eska. All in one place. If only they’d had more water. And didn’t have to deal with this hostage situation. How was she supposed to deal with that?

Bolin stomped up to the man who seemed to be in charge, waving around a bottle of liquor. “Stop it! Stop fighting! This was supposed to be a party but noooooooooooooo you had to go and ruin it with your stupid obsession! I was enjoying a nice relaxing time with my friends and family, but now I can’t!”

“ONE MORE STEP AND—-”

“SHUT UP!” screamed Bolin, right in the man’s face. “You’re going to listen to me! And listen well, fair dunderheads!” Bolin yanked the man’s blade out of his hands and tossed it to the ground. He shoved Eska away and then headbutted the metalbender. “If you metal morons don’t surrender in the next two seconds I am going to MELT EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM!ONLY LIVING LAVABENDER! COME AT ME! SEE WHAT HAPPENS!”

Asami didn’t have a response to that. No one did, as the room fell silent.

“OKAY!” The metalbender screamed and raised his hands above his head. “Okay! Okay, please don’t melt us, Nuktuk! Everyone stand down! Damnit, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

Before he had a chance to answer, Lin and two squads of RCPD metalbenders came surging through her front door. Their cables swarmed around the loyalists and subdued them.

“Sato!” yelled Lin. “How’s that for response time?”

“It’s still terrible!”

“Of course it is.”

Asami popped her hatch and hopped out of the VarriMech. She tried not to focus too much on the all too familiar sensation of wet broken marble on her bare feet. Her home was torn up again, but unlike the first time, she’d had backup. Well, more than just Mako.

Out of all of the disasters that could have ruined the party, her home transforming into a warzone again wasn’t something she’d considered.

Warzone. Asami looked over at a very frustrated Raiko arguing with an equally infuriated Lin.

 _“_ The war isn’t over. What needs to happen for me to convince you of that?”

 _“_ An actual war might help."

Asami frowned.

“Well. Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've alluded to Asami's 'self-defense' courses being far, far more extensive than just that quite a bit, and here we see it starting to come into play, but only slightly. Think about it. Who are the most renowned and powerful non-bender warriors in the world? The Kyoshi Warriors. Who would Hiroshi hire to train his daughter to defend herself against EVERYTHING? A Kyoshi Warrior, even if she didn't know it. That's my understanding of it, at least. 
> 
> And that's that! The end! Of Part 3! Next up is Part 4: "Faith and Pragmatism". So, just like Chapter 4 was a transition chapter from Part 2 to Part 3, this, hopefully serves the same purpose going into Part 4. Oh, and literally everything is on the table now. Thematically, plot points, character elements, etc. Literally everything has been foreshadowed, alluded to or brought up in some form or fashion. Hooray!
> 
>  
> 
> I'm curious to know if the 'flash forward' thing worked in this chapter. It's not something I usually do, but BSG-Legacy suggested it help with the flow of the story, and I think it works MUCH better this way. Love to know some thoughts on that.
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is encouraged and appreciated! No matter how small, rambling, scathing or random your thoughts may be, I wanna hear 'em.


	13. Integrity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As it turns out, things aren't quite as clear cut as Asami thought they were. Or rather hoped they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies, once again, for the delay. Had to do a lot of outline restructuring, then there was this whole plot clog and...well, it's unclogged now. Should be back to weekly updates.
> 
> EDIT: Added a few missing sentences to the last scene that I didn't realize were missing. Things should be clearer now.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_8 Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Spring, 175 A.G._

 

Asami scowled as she jogged down the stairs and over her cracked marble floor. She slowed to a stop at her front door and tightened the ribbon on her pajamas. Smile and wave.  Either would do.  As soon as she walked outside, she was blinded by both the the bright rising sun and several dozen flashbulbs.

The press. Yay.

"Miss Sato, your estate was crashed by several dozen violent partygoers. Do you have anything to say about the incompetence shown here by the police department?"

"Why was Kuvira in attendance?"

"An insider source informed me that these party crashers were actually Empire loyalists, and caused a riot once they were discovered. Can I get confirmation of that?"

"You've officially stated that your unwillingness to take military contracts was on principal. What principle is good enough to allow thousands of soldiers to die?

"Is Future Industries attempting to weaken the United Republic from the inside?"

"Are you trying to bring down President Raiko?"

"Are you aware that your outright refusal to support the United Forces, and thus the United Republic, is very reminiscent of your father's anti-bending bigotry?"

Asami glared at that last reporter. No. Nope. Not today. She was  _done._ It was almost as if, by asking that question, that man didn't want his bones in their proper place anymore. Wonderful.

Her face twitched and she really didn't care that it was caught on camera. She brought two fingers to her lips and whistled as loud as she could. The loud, heavy thump of Naga's paws charged across the floor and leaped out the door, landing right beside Asami with Pabu on her head. She gave the reporters a powerful unwavering stare and growled, biting at the air in front of her. Pabu hissed.

The journalists all stood frozen in place, mouths agape.

Asami cocked her head toward the crowd and, without further instruction, Naga roared like the bloodthirsty, vicious alpha predator that she was, flashing her massive teeth and snarling down the press. Pabu helped with his own little screech. The legion of reporters screamed and ran away with their tail between their legs.

"Gooood girl," cooed Asami, scratching Naga behind her ears. "And you too, Pabu," she said as the fire ferret scampered up to her shoulder. "That's going to make for one great headline. They'll probably call me a beastmaster, or something silly like that. But you're not a beast, are you girl?" she said, smiling.

Naga panted happily and licked her face. Pabu chittered.

Asami wiped the slobber off with her sleeve and chuckled. "You're lucky I haven't taken a shower yet."

Korra wandered out the front door with a full bodied yawn. "Heard Naga. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. She took care of the press for me."

"She  _loves_ doing that." She wrinkled her nose. "It's six in the morning. I've been swarmed before, but not this early. And never at home."

"That would be because you live on an island."

"Right. Are they really that desperate, though?"

Asami crooked her lips to the side. "More often than not."

"That's dumb. You'd think they'd have more important stuff to talk about than some lame 'party crashers'."

Asami looked out over the city and scratched Pabu's tummy. "Must be a slow news day."

"Heh. Yeah."

 

* * *

 

Lin grumbled as she drove up to the shanty town. The locals collectively glared at her as she passed, as if all of their problems were either her fault or that she simply refused to fix them out of some misplaced spite.

They wanted to become integrated into the United Republic. That had yet to happen, probably because Raiko was playing some stupid political game and forgot that there were tens of thousands of people just waiting for him to make up his mind.

It wouldn't even be hard, or take very long. There was a residential district right on the other side of the wall. People lived and worked there. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.

Well, in the end it had nothing to do with her. The refugees could glare all they wanted. Wouldn't change a thing. Other than making more problems for her, of course. Riots and violent protests were inevitable. Protecting their 'homes', demanding entry and asylum, bribery. A few dozen other things.

At least they'd given the place a name, since Lin had gotten very tired of writing 'that place with all the refugees' on every damn police report.

Jingdao. Border Island.

She supposed it was fitting, since it was on the border. And it may as well have been an island, considering level of isolation the region was suffering from. The buildings were crude and quickly earthbent, their food almost entirely made of humanitarian relief efforts. Most of which did  _not_ come from the United Republic. No, the credit went to the big corporations throwing money at everything. To make themselves look good, obviously. Not out of any sense of altruism, because that would be ridiculous.

Lin gave Saikhan a small nod as she approached the main border checkpoint. She hopped out of her squad car and walked up beside him. "Anything to report?" she asked, keeping an eye on a group of kids who looked suspiciously like a swarm of pickpockets.

"Not at the moment, Chief."

Lin crossed her arms and scanned the horde of people weaving in and out of simple earthbent structures. "Good. Oh, and you'll never guess how those loyalists managed to sneak into the Sato estate."

Saikhan raised a brow. "Hidden amongst the press?"

"Big hole in the old secret factory."

"I completely forgot about that place."

"So did everyone except the loyalists, apparently.

Saikhan snorted. "Sounds like they have a fixation on secret tunnels."

Lin gave Saikhan a sidelong glance. She stomped her foot into the dirt and reached out to the earth, sensing the tiniest of vibrations move through the ground.

Rocks, rocks, more rocks, that tunnel she collapsed a few months back, the  _other_ tunnel she collapsed, the old sewer systems, several thousand refugees, even more rocks, a metal truck in a back alley just above a freshly bent tunnel...

"Found one. Saikhan, with me," she said, tearing open a hole in the earth to reveal a very crude tunnel several stories underground. She hopped down the hole slowed her descent with her cables. She flicked on her flashlight as Saikhan followed her down.

"How many?"

"Four."

"Over and under?"

"Yes," said Lin as she marched several blocks down the tunnel. She pointed her flashlight up at the ceiling and brushed her palm along the rock, reaching out once again. Rocks, rocks, truck, another truck, spirit vines, eight people, lots of metal boxes, and a big blank spot in the shape of oh!a truck. "Scratch that. Eight people now. Three trucks, one is platinum lined. And they've got spirit vines."

"Ready when you are, Chief."

Lin holstered her flashlight and they both dropped into a horse stance. They widened the tunnel to cover all three trucks and, with a small breath, pulled the earth out from beneath them. Three large trucks came crashing down through the ceiling, landing violently with shattered windows and the terrified screams of the idiots involved.

Lin scoffed and hopped on top of the nearest truck. "Saikhan, call it in. I'll check the cargo." She metalbent the roof apart to find two unconscious dunderheads in an almost amusing position, a bunch of spirit vines, and some metal boxes. She looked up at the massive hole they'd opened and smirked at the kids waving down at her.

Cute.

And then she was reminded why 'cute' didn't always mean good, since those kids had distracted her from a firebender who'd managed to pick herself up and toss fireballs like a madwoman. Lin pivoted, avoiding them entirely, and used her cables to slam the firebender into the wall.

Lin hopped over to the next truck and once again found bodies, vines and boxes. She tore open one of the boxes and screwed up her face. Batteries, wires, detonators---oh.

Bombs.

Lin fought her growing migraine and rotated the earth below the platinum truck, spinning it so the back doors were facing her.

"Airship's on the way, Chief!" yelled Saikhan.

Lin took a small breath. If even  _one_ was armed she'd have no damn idea what to do. She opened the doors...only for an avalanche of spirit vines to spill out the back and cover her entirely. She scowled under the pile and shoved the bundles off of her.

Saikhan was clearly suppressing his laughter.

Lin rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

 

* * *

 

Asami walked into the lobby of Future Industries Tower to find a very tired and uncharacteristically solemn General Iroh, flanked by two soldiers in full dress uniforms.

"Miss Sato. I apologize for the intrusion."

Asami raised her brows. "Oh, it's...no trouble. Haven't even started my day yet. I must admit I'm surprised that you're here at all. I thought you were still deployed out east."

"Officially, I am," he said gravely. "But things have changed. Which is part of why I'm here." He dismissed his two officers outside. "I couldn't help but notice that odd aircraft that's on display. I'd very much like to get a closer look."

"Oh! Of course." Asami walked over to the Satohawk, gesturing for him to follow. "We're going to be rolling them out for mass production in the next few days, but this one is a little banged up thanks to a little...incident in the swamp. It's a good indicator of how durable she is, though."

"I've never seen anything like it. What is it called?"

"We're marketing her as the 'Satohawk'."

"Interesting," he said, inspecting the outer hull. "Could we take a look inside?"

Asami shrugged and pulled the side door open. "I don't see why not. But, isn't this a bit of a distraction from...whatever the reason you're here for?"

General Iroh climbed inside and pulled Asami along with him. "Don't worry about that. Please lock the doors."

Asami narrowed her eyes but did as he asked. "What's going on?"

General Iroh sighed and sat down on the floor, resting his back up against the bulkhead. He leaned forward. "Have you been keeping up with the newsreels?"

Asami nodded. "The most recent one was about how you were taking back Omashu, if I recall correctly."

"It's a lie. The United Forces are losing this war, Miss Sato. By a very wide margin," he said, exhausted. "The Fire Nation can't help us, and the Water Tribes simply won't. The First Division has been all but wiped out."

Asami paled and slowly sat down. Information control on such a large scale could only be Raiko's doing, but then, it made sense. If everyone knew they were losing so badly, he'd be impeached...and the innocents left in the former Earth Kingdom would be left to die. "General, if that sandbender is capable of such destruction, then you should really be talking to Korra about this."

"It's not the sandbender. It's the loyalists. They're far more organized than anyone realizes. Each state seems to have their own faction, and most of them are loosely allied together even without Kuvira. They have us outclassed in every way possible. Numbers, firepower, speed. Everything."

Asami frowned. "I believe you. My estate was infiltrated by loyalists yesterday evening in an attempt to 'extract' Kuvira. She tried to talk them down, but they wouldn't listen."

"...so she's really standing by her word, then?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. General, if you're losing the war, why are you here? And more importantly, why are we  _in here_?"

General Iroh stared at her for a long moment. "We have reason to believe that the Red Lotus is active again, and that they're spreading."

Asami nodded slowly as her heart dropped into her stomach. Memories of those few weeks after...that day surfaced. But that was the past. Korra was okay. She was back, and she was okay. But those terrorists, those monsters, they were still around. They were back, too.

"You're one of the only people I  _know_ who would never affiliate with the likes of them. Which means you're one of the few I can trust. I need your help, Miss Sato. The United Republic needs your help."

Asami swallowed and bowed her head. "You want weapons," she whispered.

"We  _need_ them. We cannot hope to win this war without them. This isn't the kind of fight that the Avatar can help with. It's a long, bloody war of attrition."

"One that the Red Lotus is involved in."

"I would be very surprised if they didn't have a hand in this."

Asami buried her head in her hands. "I need time to think. I can't give you a decision right now, as much as you need it. I'm sorry."

General Iroh stood and scowled at her. "The lives of tens of thousands of soldiers are on the line, and you need time to think it over? That's not even counting the  _millions_ of civilians in the former Earth Kingdom! I came here, risking assassination to grant you the courtesy of meeting with you personally, and you tell me that you have to  _think about it?!_ "

"Yes. I am." Asami glared at him. "I spent the better part of four years cleansing my name, General. The only reason I am even thinking about this is because of the Red Lotus. I will  _consider_ your request. That's all I can promise you."

General Iroh shook his head and opened the side door. "I depart for the frontlines in twenty-four hours. Inform me of your decision by then."

Asami narrowed her eyes. "I will."

 

* * *

 

"How's production coming along?" asked Asami.

Artana extinguished her arcwelder and lifted her mask. She stepped away from the grey, half assembled pillar. "Very well. The first full order should be ready for installation within the week."

"Good. Tell me, do you think you could handle overseeing another few projects in addition to this one?"

Artana shrugged. "That's entirely dependant on the subject matter."

Asami handed her a few folders filled with blueprints. "I'm considering temporarily reopening the Military R&D Division of Future Industries and you have more experience in weapons development than anyone else I have on staff. Yesterday evening was...quite the eye opener. Take a look."

Artana's smile grew wider and wider as she skimmed through the pages. Large battleships converted to accommodate runways and a single-winged airplane.  Weaponized Satohawks. Some sort of small mecha-suit with a familiar looking undersuit. "They're not quite as exciting as the Colossus, but I can certainly head these up for you, should the need arise."

"Exciting?"

Artana chuckled. "Be entirely honest with me, Asami. If someone asked you to help build a giant mecha-suit. Twenty-five stories tall and logistically ludicrous in every way possible, wouldn't you do it? Just to prove that you  _could_?"

"Well…" Asami chewed on her lip. "Okay, yes. I wouldn't even think about it. It's just...it's…"

"A giant mecha-suit."

"Yes! Exactly." Asami beamed. "Now, you're sure you can handle these extra projects? In the event that I approve them?"

Artana nodded. "Absolutely. It's always a nice change of---" Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted several bright things floating around the pillar she was working on. She turned to see a bunch of tiny floaty spirits spinning around it. "Hey! Don't touch that!" she said, waving her hands through them, shooing them off. "Get away from my work!"

"They're not hurting anything. Just leave them be."

"Easier said than done." Artana swiped her hand a few more times. "May I ask why this is a potential project, and not one to be started immediately? If last night, which was a wonderful party despite the interruption by the way, is any indication of what we'll be dealing with in the future, it would be a good idea to get a jump on this."

Asami placed a hand on her hip. "Because our  _defense_ system is far more important than everything else."

"Fair point. Do you mind if I keep these for now?"

"Not at all. Just return them to my office by the end of the day. It should be some very interesting reading over lunch."

Artana flipped through the pages. "That it should."

 

* * *

 

Korra rolled her shoulders and held out her palms in an airbending stance. Her boots sunk into the padded flooring of the gym. "I'll start with just enough power to knock you down, and we'll move up from there. Okay?"

Asami nodded and twirled her wooden practice sword, keeping her fan close to her body.

"Ready?"

"Mhmm."

Korra twisted her hand and sent a burst of air towards Asami...who spun and deflected it entirely with her fan. Korra smirked and shot two more blasts, only for them to be deflected even faster than before. "That's really cool."

Asami repeated the same sweeping motion with her fan a few times, each in a different direction. "Thanks. I'm just glad that I'm not as rusty as I thought. Air might just be easier to handle, though..."

Korra raised a brow. "Easier as opposed to what?"

Asami cleared her throat. "Let's just say that a firebender was standing where you are right now."

"That explains a lot."

Asami frowned just a little. "I know. C'mon, let's go again. But try to pull your punches a little less, okay? I've got this."

Korra shrugged. "You're the boss." She still held back, but not nearly as much. If she gave it her all, she might accidentally blow apart a support beam, which would...not be the desired effect. Asami dodged the first few bursts, spinning and gracefully rolling through the air. The first one she batted away with her fan had enough power to send an ostrich horse flying. Several dozen feet. And she didn't so much as deflect it, but use the force if the air itself to push her away.

She was airbending...without actually airbending. And also waterbending.

"All right, you've got air. Not that you'd ever need to defend against it, but still." She flicked her wrists and channeled her chi into two fireballs. "Up for fire?"

Asami took a few deep breaths and wiped sweat off of her brow. "Uhm, no. Let's not do that." She poked her in the stomach with the wooden practice sword. "I'd rather not burn my house down the day after it was attacked."

"Smart." Korra laughed. "What about water and earth, though? You can't deflect a boulder. Or water. At least, not very well."

"Earth is a just a matter of speed, most of the time. Lots of dodging and rolling. Water always seems to gives me trouble."

Korra grinned. " _Yeah,_ I do---"

Asami placed a finger on Korra's lips. "Shhhh, don't ruin it." She frowned. "Damnit, I...so, the United Forces showed up at my office today." She sighed and returned her equipment to the rack. "Specifically, General Iroh."

Korra raised her brows. "What? I thought he was supposed to be out east."

"Officially, he is. Look, I'm going to come right out and say it: He thinks the Red Lotus are mobilizing."

Korra's eyes flickered white as a sudden rush of rage nearly overwhelmed her. Her shoulders tensed and she was one unfocused breath away from spewing vitriolic flames. She ground her teeth and closed her eyes. "For what?" she asked, with quite a bit of malice.

"He doesn't know for what, but I believe him all the same. He's scared, Korra. So scared that he thinks his own officers might be double agents."

Korra cracked her knuckles. "This problem has a  _very_ simple solution. We flush them out and end them." She exhaled a little puff of fire. "All of them."

Asami sighed. "That's not...actually why he came. Not the only reason, at least. The United Forces are losing. Badly. He all but begged me to develop new military weaponry to help." She frowned. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Korra narrowed her eyes. "Are the Red Lotus part of this war?"

"Most likely, yes."

"Then build them. Build as many as you can. As long as they aren't spirit weapons, make him the most deadly and effective things possible."

Asami gaped and took a few steps closer. "Korra. No, that's...you're supposed to tell me that you can't condone this kind of thing. Remember? How hard I worked to get out of that business? And stay out?"

Korra blinked. "I remember. I also remember the kind of people that you'd be getting rid of.  These are the same men and women who were willing to commit genocide for the sake of leverage.  Forget what they did to me.  They tried to wipe out the Air Nation; finish the job for Sozin." she growled. "Iroh wants weapons? Make them."

"So.  That's it then?  The ends justify the means for you, too?"

"For the Red Lotus, they always will."

"But---" Asami bristled. "Damnit, Korra, I wanted---you were supposed to talk me out of this! You weren't supposed to…" She pinched her brow. "This isn't what Iroh would want."

"...yes, it is. He literally asked you for it."

"No, the  _other_ Iroh."

"Oh. Probably not, then." Korra sighed and sat down on the padded floor.  "I know that whole...thing is important, but how can you be the noodles if there isn't a world to bring closer together anymore? They want the end of everything.  That can't happen."

Asami took a shaky breath. "You're right. You're exactly right. If somebody has to get their hands dirty, it may as well be me. At least I can do it correctly."

"That's one way to look at it."

Asami sat down beside her and entwined their fingers together. "Thank you. I don't think I would have realized just how necessary it is that I do this if not for you. I might have ended up doing it, but not for the right reasons."

"Makes all the difference."

"It really does."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: The chinese characters for Jingdao are 境岛. Literal meaning is Border Island, derived from a combination of the chinese word for shanty town and 'exit island' (the literal english translation of Nagasaki's Dejima. Yes, that Dejima.)
> 
> Yeah, I know this chapter is on the shorter side, but frankly it only made sense to be this concise. I kept trying to add a C story, but nothing fit that wouldn't be more appropriate in the later chapters. So think of this as 'the morning after', since it literally is. I guess that sort of worked out. Oh, and Pabu is here because I realized that I forgot he existed. Oy.
> 
> And I'm on tumblr now, apparently. If you do the tumble, which is totally a thing, feel free to look me up at progmanx.tumblr.com. 
> 
> Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. No matter how random, rambling, scathing or brief your thoughts may be, I wanna hear 'em.


	14. Some Assembly Required

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family first; Always and forever.

_8 Months, Two Weeks after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Spring, 175 A.G._

 

Varrick grinned and fiddled with his lapel. Today was a  _fantastic_ day to be him. Just like almost every other day! That qualifier wouldn't have to be there if not for...huh, he couldn't remember. Something about a forest and hogmonkeys.

Didn't matter! Business was about to start booming again! Literally! Also, the other one.

Asami rolled her eyes and looked back over her testing floor like a queen looking over, uh...her people. Subjects. Eh, not a queen, she wouldn't appreciate that title, more like a...matriarch? No, not that. Made her sound too old. Whatever! Asami looked at the thing!

"Just because I'm a fan of Nuktuk doesn't mean I'm going to be sign off on corporate sponsorship for this 'mystery project' of yours. You've got to give me more than that, Varrick."

Varrick drummed his hands along the railing and slid up beside her. "It's an experimental form of mover! That's it. That's all I'm gonna say. Unless you're curious, then I'm an open book."

Asami looked at him curiously. "Experimental? You mean you're using a special kind of camera?"

"No, the  _Varri-Color Mover Camera,_ trademark, hit a bit of a snag, mostly because it won't stop bursting into...multicolored flames. Don't ask because I'm just as lost as you are on that one." He clapped his hands together and leaned over. " _This_ is experimental content! Writing! Camera angles! Bigger budgets! Catering! Oh, and this new style of acting that I'm calling the  _Varri-Method_."

Asami snorted. "How is that different than the regular way?"

"People act like they normally would! Actions, reactions, emotions, motivations! On camera!"

Asami narrowed her eyes at him, and it didn't take a brilliant man to notice that she was about to berate him for that idea...until she realized that  _it was absolutely genius_. "That's...actually a great idea."

"I know! Audiences are gonna love it. But we need a big, fancy story to tell to really sell it to them. A modern epic that's still fresh in everyone's minds!" he said, sweeping his hand through the air. "The Legend of---"

He was cut off by a teeth-rattling explosion down on the testing floor, complete with big blue arcs of lightning and just enough fire for him to be a teensy bit worried. And then singed metal shrapnel went flying above their heads and sliced into the concrete wall behind them.

Varrick and Asami exchanged an equally baffled and spooked look.

Asami's eyes widened as she peaked out over the railing. "Artana! What the hell was that?!"

Down on the lower level, Artana and several others looked up from the large lightning-cannon-thing strapped to a stripped down Satohawk. Artana smiled. "A successful weapons test! We just blew up a tank!" She pointed to the large sectioned off area that housed both a crater and a hulk of smoking, melted metal. "Power output needs to be dialed back-is that shrapnel behind you?"

"YES!"

"I have no idea how that even got up there. Sorry! This really isn't a controlled kind of explosion! It's very chaotic!"

"I noticed." Asami pinched her brow. "I think testing for that is done. It's clearly very effective, and I doubt it can get much more destructive than that."

"Asami, that was only forty percent capacity," she said, flipping through pages of schematics. "It may be wise to incorporate some sort of output inhibitor..."

"Do it." She turned away and rubbed her temples. "Remind me again why  _you_ couldn't just make things for the United Forces?" she asked Varrick.

Varrick raised a brow and leaned in extra close. "Got married. Nearly killed everybody by inventing spirit weapons. Grew a conscience. Not in that order, and it's entirely possible that my head voices are actually just Bolin reminding me that something is  _really bad_." He frowned. "You're really not cut out for this line of work."

"Oh, no I think I'm  _far_ too suited for it. I threw that cannon together in a little less than a day, and it's already blowing up tanks."

Varrick slicked back his hair. "Bad guy tanks, though. Don't ever forget that.  _We're_ the good guys."

"I know, but then I come in on days like today, and it's...I just see death. Death on both sides. Each one with the Future Industries seal of approval."

"All right, I'm going to have to stop you right there. I came by to share some fun news about movers, mostly because I can't start making it until you approve it, and now you're getting all...heavy on me. Look at me, Asami." She did. "Am I really the guy you want to talk about this kinda thing with? Because if I am then we are  _really_ not on the same page!"

"No, but then this is also about business." Asami frowned. "You know, for someone who was so willing to endure several months of being my personal punching bag for every minor indiscretion you're remarkably fickle."

Varrick narrowed his eyes at her and straightened his posture. His typical grandstanding and enthusiasm vanished entirely. "Call me what you want. Berate me. Insult me. But don't think, not for a moment, that I am  _fickle._ You broke three of my ribs in just as many months and I  _still_ wanted to help. Still do."

"Right. Out of some misplaced sense of pity and guilt. Or Zhu Li's insistence."

"Wrong. Well placed empathy."

Asami inspected him closely. "How can you possibly---"

"Ever wonder where the name Nuktuk came from?"

Asami perked up, but then very quickly bowed her head. Smart girl. "Oh."

Varrick shrugged. "Long time ago. Can't just dwell on it. Now, c'mon we've got  _mover_ talk to---"

A massive pillar of fire flew up through the air a few feet from the railing, very quickly melting a portion of the metal ceiling. Asami gaped as a few office workers peaked down the new hole in their floor with equally terrified expressions.

"Who forgot to throttle the flames?!" barked Artana. "You could have killed somebody!"

Asami buried her head in her hands. "Varrick, I think you should leave."

"Things  _do_ tend to go horribly wrong around me…"

"I know, that's why you need to  _leave._ "

"You got it! I'll send over the mover scripts---"

"Leave! Now!"

 

* * *

 

The ferry creaked as Asami stepped on to Air Temple Island. The moment her boots touched the immaculate stone of the dock, she snapped back into attention. Her eyes refocused and she stood up straighter, adjusting her bag so that it hung more securely from her shoulder.

For the last hour or so, she'd been running on muscle memory entirely. No thought, no postulating, no reflection on her day. She hadn't even noticed the time, which was a little problematic since, by her best guess, it was well past midnight. The moon wasn't full, and somehow that made her feel a little less whole.

Asami rubbed her eyes and began walking toward the dormitories. Her eyes glazed over once more, and the next thing she knew she was right in front of the door to Korra's room. She hesitated as she reached out to slide it open. It didn't feel right. Her day just felt...all kinds of wrong. Her stomach twisted and she backed away from the door.

The door behind her slid open and Opal, dressed in pajama pants and a plain shirt, tiptoed out into the hall. That seemed familiar. Asami caught a glimpse of Bolin, who was snoring and sprawled across the bed in his boxer shorts, just before Opal shut the door.

Opal gave her a small smile. "Hey. Long day?" she whispered.

Asami nodded grimly. Perhaps her day had taken a far greater toll on her than she'd thought. Or maybe she'd just accidentally skipped sleeping and kept working through her next cycle again. She really needed to break that habit.

Opal knit her brows together in concern. She looked down the empty hallway. "You look like you want to talk about it."

Asami bit her lip and was about to say that it was nothing to worry about and that she just needed some rest when she remembered the  _last time_  she'd kept her troubles to herself. She rested a hand on her stomach as it lurched just from the memory of it. "It's a very sensitive subject, and I don't think my head is in the right place to...discuss it with Korra."

"That's definitely something that you need to talk about. Come on, let's go sit outside," she said, walking out to the courtyard without checking to see if Asami would even agree to join her. She  _was_ , but that wasn't the point.

Asami scratched her forehead and followed her, avoiding the parts of the floor which she knew creaked. "Thanks."

Opal sat down on the wooden steps and rested her hands behind her. "Don't mention it. Now, what's wrong?"

Asami sighed and sat down next to her. What  _wasn't_  wrong---Okay, most things. Most things were  _not_ wrong. When was the last time she ate? Oh, she skipped dinner again, that's probably why she was feeling so odd. Well, no need to talk to-yes there is. Stop lying to yourself and talk.

Talk!

"I reopened Future Industries' Military R&D Division," she blurted. "And I'm pretty sure I don't have what it takes to oversee it."

Opal looked her over and tilted her head. "That is not what I expected."

"...what did you expect?"

"Something more relationshipy? Hearing that you don't feel up to the task of doing something is surprising." She shrugged. "There's a first time for everything."

Asami slumped. "I hadn't even thought about it like that."

"It's not a big deal if you don't think you can handle it. Isn't that why you hire other people? To do the things you can't do?"

"Yes, but that's not the problem. I can handle the  _workload_ , just not...the actual work I've been doing. And stopping really isn't an option."

"Why not? If you're not comfortable with this kind of thing, nobody's forcing you."

Asami hugged herself. "It's the Red Lotus. We're pretty sure that they're involved with the...growing trouble in the former Earth Kingdom states. If I don't do this, then someone else will, and they won't do as good a job." She sighed deeply. "So I can't just...stop."

Opal's eyes widened. "No. No, you  _really_ can't. I can see why you're having trouble talking to Korra about this. If you stopped, she'd be terrified."

"She...what? Terrified? Why would she be terrified? She actually encouraged me to do this. Can you believe that? Korra wanted me to make weapons."

Opal studied her with a hard stare. "She's just trying to protect her family as best she can. I would do the exact same thing if I were in her place."

Asami blinked. "Her parents are all the way in the South Pole. They don't have anything to do with this."

"I'm not talking about her parents. I'm talking about her  _family._ All of us. You, me, Bolin, Mako, Tenzin, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, Rohan, Pema...the entire Air Nation. Think of it like this: when Kuvira was holding my family hostage, I would have done  _anything_ to get them back. I would have gone alone, if I had to. This is the same thing, just...bigger."

Asami closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. Of course. Of  _course._ How could she not have seen it was about family? The weapons were...another contingency. That's all they were to her. Another shield. Another sword. Peace of mind. Because if Korra lost Tenzin, then…

The swamp. The  _swamp._ No. Nope. That would not come to pass. Ever.

"Thank you, Opal. I...don't know how I can repay you for this, but I'll find a way. I promise."

Opal shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Asami stood and looked down at her with conviction. "It is to me. Good night, and thank you again." She walked quietly back to Korra's room, once again avoiding the creaky floorboards. Her heart skipped a beat as she slid the door open and stepped inside.

There she was, curled up in---oh. She was meditating? At that hour? Huh. Asami closed the door behind her and went about changing into her pajamas. Nothing too fancy; she kept those at home. And Korra was still meditating. Well. She used this odd opportunity to brush her teeth and remove her makeup, because hopefully by the time she got back Korra would be--- _still_ meditating.

Was she waiting up for her? Did she just have lots of thinking to do?

Asami sat down in a lotus right in front of her, since there was no way she was falling asleep without at least talking to her, not after the day she had. Not after realizing just what Korra had asked her to do. She copied her posture. Closed eyes. Fists together. Calm, even breathing. Clearing her mind? Hah! Next to impossible.

But then, how did Korra do it? Did she just stop thinking, or did she focus on something that removed all other thoughts entirely, and  _then_ stop thinking...there wasn't an easy answer. She slumped forward and puffed out her cheeks. Not gonna happen.

So, she defaulted to just staring at her. Admiring the serene beauty and strength she projected without even intending to. Her love of the banal, as if it were always a welcome surprise. Her strength, in every sense. Strength of character. Strength of mind. Strength of spirit. Well, that was a given.

Asami looked down at her own stomach. Everyone had an inner spirit, right? What...what was hers like? Maybe it was just really small and weak since she wasn't a spiritual person. She sort of wished she could connect to it. Herself. Was it still her, or an idealized version of her? Or who she  _truly_ was?

Well. Who said she couldn't connect to her inner spirit? Nobody, that's who. It couldn't hurt to try. She resumed her mimicked meditation posture and focused as hard as she possibly could on...red. Red? Yes, red.  _Her_ color. Somehow, she just instinctively knew that color was an important part of whatever it was she was doing.

Maybe.

"...Asami?"

Asami's eyes snapped open and she blushed a little. "Hey."

"Were you trying to get into the Spirit World?"

"No! No, never. That would not be fun. For me. No, I was trying to connect to my inner spirit. I think. I don't know, I just needed to talk to you before bed and you were busy so it seemed like a good use of my time."

"Something wrong?"

"No, I…"

_I want to say that it means the world to me that you want to trust me with the safety of your family. Of your legacy. Of the people you fought, suffered and nearly died for. Who you are. But I'm not going to, because this is one less thing you need to worry about, and I'm all too happy to ease this burden for you._

"I just wanted to hear your voice. I had a really long day."

Korra smiled. "Would you like me to say anything in particular?"

Asami chuckled and pulled her in for a tender kiss. "No. Anything will do." She brushed Korra's hair out of the way. "I'm not tired."

"Yeah," she whispered into her neck, the heat of her breath  _very hot_  against her skin. "Suddenly feeling  _very_  alert." Korra's hands dipped under her shirt and slid up her back, spreading her warmth-oh that little...that trick with firebending again!

Asami sighed and melted into her touch. Strong fingers kneaded the muscles on her back that were far tighter than she realized. It was peace and warmth and love and trust and...everything. It was everything. Korra was everything. She leaned forward, her head lolling a bit, and...got caught up in the heat. Just a little. Slowly, deeply, she kissed her, settling Korra below her and letting her hair fall over her face.

Korra snickered and flipped it out the way. She cupped Asami's head, guiding their lips back together again. Her palms weren't heated. It was just Korra, stroking her hair as her own hand dipped lower and lower. Asami stopped just short and took her in. All of her. Her breath, her smile, her eyes, that look of wonder and sincerity. As if she were basking in some glow Asami never knew she had.

And really, as she smiled at Korra just a little wider, everything just else fell away.

 

* * *

 

Ikki grumbled as she dragged her feet across the floor of the temple. It was way too late, but she couldn't sleep because Jinora just  _had_ to 'have a sleepover' with Kai. She wasn't five! She knew exactly what they were doing, sorta, and she'd feel a little less mad if they didn't lie.

Well, not really no since she'd still be kept awake by lots of giggling and Kai asking dumb questions that Jinora  _always_ said yes to. Is this okay? Is that okay? I'm Kai, I can't remember what my girlfriend said two seconds ago! Uggggggggh, why would he ask if she always said yes? Probably because he was dumb and wouldn't stay on his side of the temple!

Maybe Korra would let her sleep in her room. Or Opal, but that was also Bolin's room, since Daddy...why had he said that was okay, again? Something about love and marriage, but they weren't married, so maybe he just liked Bolin a lot. Or Opal's Aunt Lin made him do it. Yeah, that was probably it. She could be scary sometimes.

She was about to knock on Korra's door when she heard...lots of slow breathing from two people. None of that dumb talking, so Ikki felt like she should be happy for them, even though she wasn't sure why. Oh! They were being  _quiet._ And that was just being considerate, so she'd have to thank them for being so nice in the morning. Mako too! He and that lady she didn't know were doing things, but they weren't  _weird_ about it.

Ikki decided to take a walk around outside, since Kai always left Jinora's room around half an hour after he got there. It wasn't a full moon, which she always thought was sort of sad because her great uncle was in love with the moon. That story was weird. But Grandma told it, and everyone always said her stories were true, so it must be!

Ikki stared at the moon's reflection in the little pond, the one near the...all the fire lilies. She could never remember what daddy called it. It was probably the 'meditation pond', because everything was the 'meditation' thing.

"How do you even fall in love with a big thing in the sky?" she wondered aloud. "It's so weird."

"It is, isn't it? I've never quite understood that story."

Ikki spun around in a whirlwind and landed lightly on her feet. She smiled wide and waved at that lady Artana, Asami's work friend, who was sitting under a big tree. Under a blanket. She had less clothes on, too. She usually had that jacket, but she didn't have that. Just the shirt. "Can't sleep either?"

Artana waved back. "No, not quite yet."

Ikki huffed and zoomed over to her. "Nobody's asleep anyway. They're all just doing things! Except for Meelo and Rohan and my mom and dad, I guess."

Artana looked at her funny, but then smiled. "You mean things? Or  _things_?"

Ikki sat down on the blanket. "Whichever one is more annoying. It's every other night with my older sister, you know Jinora, and her boyfriend. Yes, no, yes, yes, over and over again and daddy wonders why I'm always so sleepy! Korra and Asami don't make noise, because they're nicer and care about the other people living around them."

"So,  _things_ , then. I remember what that was like. I learned not to hear that kind of thing unless I wanted to, but it took me a while to figure that out."

Ikki grinned and jumped up and down and around. "Wow! Can you teach me how to ignore people like that? How do you do it? Is it an earthbending thing, hey where'd you get those tattoos? How long have you had them?  _Why_ do you have them because I don't have tattoos even though I should because Jinora got hers when she was my age so I should be the next airbending master, right?"

Artana didn't talk for a second, but then she did. "In order: I'm not sure it's something I can teach. I just sort of learned. No, not to my knowledge---"

"Sorry, sorry, I get excited and I do that. Can we just talk about the tattoos? They're  _so cool,_ " she said, poking her right arm.

"Thank you. And we can, if you want. I should warn you though, they're not special like your sister's."

"Why not?"

"It's because they don't mean anything to anyone but myself. Your sister's tattoos are something she's earned. I didn't earn these."

"Then why do you have them?"

"I wanted them. That's really all there is too it."

Ikki looked at her feet. "Oh. They looked sorta special to me."

Artana shrugged. "Well, they're special to  _me,_ but they don't mean I'm an...earthbending master, or something."

"So what do they mean?"

"It's not that interesting of a story. It's barely a story at all."

"Great! That means it'll help me sleep!"

Artana raised a brow. "That's certainly one way to look at it. I suppose, to start, each of these marks represents an idea, or an adventure. Or even just a place I've lived."

Ikki looked at the blue-black marks  _realllllly_ closely. "There are a lot."

"Yes, there are. The smallest ones, those right here, and these over here, are the places I've lived."

"They all kinda look the same and that's a lot of places. How come you didn't just pick one place like everyone else?"

"Ironically, I'm a nomad from the Earth Kingdom. Former Earth Kingdom."

Ikki furrowed her brow. It sounded like a joke, but it---oh, that's not that funny. "...and that's ironic because the Air Nomads were nomads and the new Air Nation sorta isn't but you are even though you're not an airbender?"

"Uhm. Yes. That's the idea."

"That's not very funny."

"It's not supposed to be funny. It's just the truth."

"Oh, okay. Because it wasn't funny."

Artana frowned. "Thank you for the feedback."

"You're welcome!"

Artana stopped talking again, but then she stopped not talking. "Yes. In any case, these are old friends."

"They don't look like faces."

"That's because they're symbolic of who that person was. See, this one represents an old friend, Nalini. She was an amazing sculptor."

"What happened to her?"

Artana smiled, but it didn't look like a happy smile. "I don't know. I haven't seen her in a very long time. I just hope she's okay."

"She is."

"Why do you think that?"

Ikki smiled extra wide for the both of them. "No idea! I just know. Why are you sleeping outside?"

"It's an old habit from when I was younger and moving around a lot. I find it difficult to sleep in the same place so many times. After six nights or so, I start to feel very restless."

"I already know you're restless. You're not sleeping."

"No, I mean it makes me uncomfortable. Almost scared, in some ways."

"Why?"

Artana shrugged. "Old habits die hard."

 

* * *

 

"Okay, so, how do you guys normally do this?" asked Opal.

Korra tapped her chin and leaned back on one foot, testing the strength of City Hall's new tiles. The old ones were of  _much_ lesser quality. She, Opal, Asami, Bolin and Mako were standing just outside of Raiko's office. "Well, typically I just sort of kick down the door, and then we all yell really loud what we want, and then we get it."

"It's how I got the contract to more or less rebuild the city," said Asami.

"...and how we got the pro-bending stadium to stay open," added Bolin. "Which...turned out to be a bad idea."

"You guys couldn't have known that was going to happen."

Mako frowned. "At least we would have avoided 'losing' to the Wolfbats."

"Hey, I water smacked Tahno's stupid helmet clean off! I wouldn't trade that for anything," said Korra.

"Yeah, and we beat them in that rematch later, remember?" said Bolin.

"We didn't just win, Bolin. We kicked their  _butts._ "

"...because you threatened to take his bending away if he cheated again," said Mako, being a killjoy.

"I never said that. I said I'd make him regret it. He heard what he wanted to hear."

"You didn't correct him, though."

"Why would I? It worked perfectly!"

Opal smacked her forehead. "Can we please focus?"

Korra chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry. Okay, so, on three...no, wait I  _really_ want to break this door."

Mako put a hand on her shoulder. "Please don't break the President's door."

"He blackmailed me, Mako."

Mako blinked. "When did that happen?"

"Few months ago. It, uh…" She looked over at Asami, who was staring at the ceiling. "It made things kinda bad for a while."

Mako checked down the empty hallway. "...break the door."

" _Yes._ All right, stand back." They did. She cracked her knuckles and lunged forward with a roar, augmenting her fist with a powerful blast of air. Right before she smashed into the door, it swung open and she lost her balance, sending her skidding face first to the floor. Her burst of airbending flew forward and smacked a very surprised Kuvira out of her seat and into a bookcase.

"I CAN HEAR YOU OUTSIDE OF MY OFFICE!" yelled Raiko. "What is  _wrong_ with you five!? Why is barging into my office your only form of communication with the government?! What is so impossible about making appointments or just calling me?! You have my home telephone number!"

His bodyguards didn't move an inch, and Korra had to wonder if they were just lazy, or they didn't see her as a threat.

Kuvira got to her feet and scowled. She dusted herself off. "Thank you for the daily reminder that I am nothing more than government property."

Korra was yanked to her feet by Bolin and Asami. "Hey, that was an accident! Wait, government proper---"

"Why are you here?!" barked Raiko, cutting off that line of questioning.

Opal frowned. "...it would be better if you were alone when we answered."

Bolin nodded vigorously. "Yeah, this...see, we didn't think Kuvira would be here."

"No one ever does," grumbled Kuvira.

"Quit moping and wait out in the hall!" roared Asami.

Mako sighed. "Mister President, it really would be in everyone's best interest if---"

Raiko pinched his brow. "No. We were in the middle of an important conversation, so say whatever it is that you came here to say."

Korra looked between Opal and Asami. "Uh, okay. But we warned you. We want to get Baatar Jr. out of prison on work release so he can act as Future Industries' CTO, and make weapons development much, much faster and easier. And probably cheaper."

"Done. Now get---"

"No. Stop." Kuvira paled and leaned over the back of her chair. She gripped the armrests so hard that they snapped. "You told me he was  _dead._  Incinerated by the blast. You told me I killed him!" She shattered the chair against the wall and the earth beneath her feet shuddered. "And now, out of nowhere, these five come in and suddenly he's  _alive_ again?! Which is it?!"

The room was silent and Korra almost found herself leaping across the room and socking Raiko in the mouth. In fact, she was wondering why she wasn't trying to, and why Bolin wasn't holding her back from doing it.

Asami sighed. "He's alive. Bolin and I met with him to discuss potential countermeasures for spirit weapon technology. His input helped tremendously."

"How long ago was this?"

"About a month before you were released from prison."

Kuvira glowered at Raiko, her typically cool composure cracking and being chipped away piece by piece. "I have stood here and taken your abuse for months. I have endured everything you've thrown at me, every restriction, every forced humiliation, and I have done  _everything_ you've asked me to do!" Her eyes shook wildly as she rapidly snapped between Korra and Raiko. She bared her teeth and the tiles below her shattered into hundreds of smaller shards and rocks. "The only thing I want to do is help, and every moment of every day you use me like some expendable tool. Just another piece in your game. Oh, I understand the dramatic irony. I've made peace with that. But this?! Telling me that I  _murdered my fiance?!_ THE LOVE OF MY LIFE?! WHEN HE'S ACTUALLY ALIVE?!"

Raiko's bodyguards lunged at her, but she was faster, binding their arms and legs together and with metal drawn from the fixtures, violently wedging them into the wall. And then she was on top of Raiko, grabbing him out of his seat by his collar.

It had all happened so fast, and frankly Korra was sort of in shock as to what Raiko was willing to do to Kuvira, for reasons she didn't really want to know. There was no time to react from that kind of thing. How could she when she wasn't entirely sure who she should be stopping?

"Aren't any of you going to do anything?!" said Raiko, looking over at the five of them with expectation. Mako, in particular. But Korra was pretty sure that wasn't going to work a second time.

Korra sighed and walked over to Kuvira. Can't let her kill him. Nothing good would come of that. She clapped her on the shoulder and frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry, but you need to let him go."

Kuvira shuddered and clenched her eyes shut. "I---I can't. He'll just execute me now."

"You haven't given me much of a choice, Kuvira. You're clearly still fueled by megalomania. You attempted to assassinate the President of the United Republic, with witnesses," stated Raiko, a tad panicked. "My hands are tied."

Kuvira growled. "That's what this was?! Just another way for you to break me down?! I swear, I am going to---"

"Kuvira." Korra gripped her shoulder tighter. "Do you trust me?"

"This has nothing to do my trust in you! Korra, he---"

"I know what he did. Do you trust that we can take care of this?"

Kuvira stared at her, her gaze flipping from terror to rage over and over. She nodded and let Raiko go. With a bloodthirsty roar, she tore the door off of its hinges, crushed it into a mangled mess of metal, and slammed it into the floor. Kuvira breathed heavily, closed her eyes, and quickly broke into tears.

Asami stepped forward and glared down at Raiko. "Drop the assault charges, forget the past five minutes ever happened, and grant Baatar Jr. a full pardon."

"And why would I do that, Miss Sato?"

"Because if you don't, I'll ensure that you're convicted for practicing psychological torture on a woman who can be legally classified as a prisoner of war."

Raiko narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Now get out of my office."

"Gladly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is...it’s a lot of things. It’s about coming together, love, one's convictions and morals, how family (all kinds. nationality, culture, surrogate, blood, transcendent…) can drive us crazy in both good and bad ways, truly finding wisdom in your past mistakes, living with regret, the many definitions of home… I really like how it turned out. It's super heavy, but also really tender and had me laughing pretty hard just from writing some of it. Sorry for keeping Artana's tattoo designs vague, though. BSG and I are still hammering out how they look, so I didn't want to set anything in stone.
> 
> Nuktuk being the name of Varrick's father is something I shamelessly stole from Unpretty's "Icarus and the Sea", which is probably my favorite piece of TLOK fanfiction. It certainly influenced how I write Varrick and Zhu Li, specifically how they interact with one another. I like to imagine that these stories take place in the same canon, because I'm that much of a dork. 
> 
> For the eagle-eyed readers, yeah, that's the Operator in Mako's room. Goddamnit, Bryan.
> 
> I'm a massive theatre nerd, and this chapter is a great example of that. Varrick's 'Varri-Method' and endorsement on 'realism' are references to the American Realism movement in the early 20th century, which was a massive step forward in live theatre at the time, and the method acting techniques that arose with them, specifically the styles taught by Meisner and Adler. 
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. No matter how small, scathing, random or rambling your thoughts may be, I wanna hear 'em.


	15. Models

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing's perfect, but that doesn't mean things can't get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by thejmpr
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_9 Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Late Spring, 175 A.G._

 

Asami did not like prisons. She would never like prisons. No matter how aesthetically pleasing the exterior may be, she would always have an aversion to them. However, the Republic City Correctional Facility possessed a certain naturalistic quality that she did find intriguing. Long, winding cracks in the concrete traveled up the tall building, a remnant of the destruction Unavaatu had wrought on the city all those years ago. Dozens of spirit vines embraced the prison, winding their way to its peak in some twisted form of cruel ironic structural support.

Baatar Jr's release was not what Asami had expected. She had imagined a haggard, exhausted and scruffy man shuffling out of those doors. Instead, he emerged immaculate. His glasses spotless, his hair just as prim and proper as she remembered it. He carried himself with confidence, and she supposed it made a certain kind of sense once she'd witnessed it.

She had forgiven him. Bolin had forgiven him. Korra and Mako, too. The only ones who hadn't were his family. But if there was one thing that Asami knew about the Beifongs it was that, to them, there was nothing more sacred than shared blood.

Which made Opal sprinting past her and slapping her older brother straight across the face all the more fitting. She hugged him, her tears staining his fresh green shirt. He fixed his glasses and looked baffled, but that only lasted a moment. He hugged her back and Asami couldn't help but take some pride in that.

Bolin nudged her and leaned in to whisper. "Thanks a lot for this. It meant a lot to us."

Asami gave him a quick glance. "Us?"

Bolin blushed, looked at the sky, his shoes, and then at the fence. He shushed her. Not yet. Not yet, but soon. And hopefully sooner rather than later. If Asami were Opal, she'd be getting rather impatient at that point. Three years and counting.

"You're an idiot," grumbled Opal. "I missed you so much."

"I know." Baatar closed his eyes and embraced her tighter. "I missed you, too. How are you?"

"Good. Better. Great now, actually," she said, sniffling. She wiped her eyes with her wingsuit. "I'm sorry I didn't come to visit you. Mom was being weird and I didn't want to risk hurting her more. She said you two had talked, but wouldn't say anything else."

"Sounds like mom. She told me that the rest of the family needs space and time before we both know if---when I can come back."

"Well, at least you have something to keep you busy in the meantime."

"I suppose I...do..." he said, staring at her hands. He turned to glare straight at Bolin, and Asami could feel him fidget next to her. "Hello, Bolin."

Bolin cleared his throat and waved. "Heyyyyyy, Baatar!" He looked around at nothing in particular. "Wow! Look at the time, I've got to go and get back to...doing that thing that I do..." he said, poking his index fingers together. "Okayseeyouguyslaterbyeloveyouopal!" Bolin sprinted off down the street faster than she'd ever seen him run.

Baatar frowned intensely. "Oh, no you don't! Get back here!" Asami caught his arm before he could actually run after him. "Let go of me! This is private, family business!"

Asami raised a brow and looked him straight in the eye. "Is that really the way you want to start our working relationship? Raising your voice at your boss and chasing down one her closest friends?"

Baatar looked down the street, and upon coming to the inevitable conclusion that he couldn't catch up Bolin, let alone subdue him, relented. "You're right. I can always talk with him later. I know where he lives."

"That's not what I meant."

Opal walked up to them, baffled. "What was that about?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Baatar and Asami said in unison.

Opal studied them closely and put her hands on her hips. "Okay, I know the both of you are lying, so I'm just going to go after the crazy man that I'm in love with." She gave Baatar a quick hug. "Please stay out of trouble and be nice to Asami, all right?"

"All right."

"Promise."

"I promise."

"Good." She launched herself into the air, expanding her wingsuit and soaring several stories in a manner of seconds. "Bolin, what are you doing?!" she yelled as she vanished behind a building.

Baatar frowned. "How has he not proposed to her yet?"

Asami shrugged and walked over to her blue roadster. "It could be a lot of reasons." She motioned him to follow. "Personally, I feel like he doesn't think he's good enough for her."

Baatar got into her satomobile just a little too eagerly. She stared at him for a moment, since she hadn't even sat down yet. He cleared his throat. "Because he's not from a prolific family? That's ridiculous."

Asami spurred the engine to life, enjoying its perfectly optimized purr with a small smile, and slid her hands over the leather bound steering wheel. Always soothing. "I would be very surprised if it had anything to do with that. He's never been ashamed, embarrassed or even proud of his childhood. I think that's just life to him." She drove away from the prison and back into the city proper, pushing her memories of that bitter, somber place out of her mind. "Korra told me that he's been talking about lavabending a lot, recently. Out of fear, not pride. I think we can both sympathize with that."

Baatar was silent for a long moment. "We are what we create. It's easy to forget how small the difference between us and benders truly is. Sixth chakra," he said, tapping his forehead.

She gave him an odd look.

He shrugged. "I had a lot of time to read."

"Ah. Which one was that again?"

"Light. Encompasses insight, and is blocked by the illusion of separation."

"That's right, I remember now. I experimented with those, actually. I was trying to make this...bending booster suit. The idea was to use tiny acupuncture nodes on the interior of a modified wingsuit, same kind of compression fabric, that ran along the chi pathways of a bender's body, forcing them open."

"I'd have never thought of that. Did it work?"

Asami frowned, remembering all too vividly just how well it had worked. "It was far too effective. Extended use lead to a near total loss of control. Your aunt destroyed an entire city block before she could tear off the suit. My estate was actually raided by the Triple Threats in an attempt to get their hands on one of the two surviving prototypes, so I've even seen it in actual combat."

Baatar's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "That sounds terrifying. If Aunt Lin couldn't control it then I can't imagine what happened to a triad thug."

"It gave a decent waterbender enough raw power to destroy my ceiling, strip the wallpaper from my walls, manipulate a month's worth of rainwater, shatter all my windows, and blow open half of my floor. And that was from maybe an hour of use. I don't even want to consider what could happen if a master got their hands on it, and tried to see how far they could go."

"Just so we're clear, that isn't the kind of thing you want me to be working on, correct?"

Asami laughed once. "Absolutely not. No, that's been shelved indefinitely. The only surviving model was made with Jinora's proportions in mind, and that was a year a go. When I said military R&D I meant vehicles, crew operated weaponry, better explosives, that kind of thing. But no giant mecha-suits. Or rebuilding the old one."

"It was a nightmare to build once. I have no intention of doing so again."

Asami gave him a sidelong glance. "Really? Artana spoke very fondly of the project."

"Oh, you got her?"

"Yes, I did. I'm sorry, I thought you knew. She's very good."

"A little too big picture at times, but yes, quite capable."

Asami raised a brow. "I fail to see how that's a negative. It's an important perspective---" Her thoughts snapped back to that night in her outdoor workshop; long since forgiven, but not the most pleasant of memories. "---most of the time."

"Yes, well it doesn't help very much when your subordinates are far too curious. She wasn't the one who had to ensure that both the mecha-giant and the spirit cannon were developed in near-perfect parallel." Baatar frowned and adopted a slightly mocking tone. "Why is this part of the arm hollow? Why don't these wires go anywhere? How did you get the generator to work? How are we supposed to transport a weapon this large on a magnet train? Why don't we just build a big airship and mount it to that?"

Asami gave him a sidelong glance. "That last one would have been very effective."

"I know," he said, exhausted. "Kuvira still insisted on the mecha-giant. For psychological warfare purposes, of course."

"...I think she just wanted it so she could pilot it."

"I'm sure that was part of it yes, but it was terrifying."

"That it was."

There was a long, extended silence. It was a little uncomfortable. Much less than she had anticipated, though, which was good.

"You know Kuvira's not dead, right?"

Baatar looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "What kind of question is that? She was pardoned months ago. I get the news in prison."

"Okay." Asami bit her lip. Fantastic. Everything is always her job. "It sounds like Raiko neglected to divulge all of the circumstances surrounding your release."

"He told me you negotiated a deal with him, and that I'm your new Chief Technology Officer."

"That's the heart of it, but not the whole of it. I'm really not sure that I should be the one telling you this."

"Tell me what?"

"Fine." Asami sighed and pulled into the parking garage of Future Industries Tower. "Let me park first so I can gather my thoughts." She flashed her badge at the security guard, which she thought was the single most ludicrous part of her daily routine, and drove up to her reserved spot.

She pinched her brow and cut the engine, clearing the air of the satomobile's rumble. "Until a few days ago, Kuvira was under the impression that she had killed you during the battle."

Baatar's eyes widened, but he said nothing.

"I think Raiko was trying to keep her under control. Break her spirit, or something like that. I hate her, I'm not going to try and hide that from you, but..." She gripped her steering wheel and grit her teeth. "Not even Kuvira deserves to be tortured like that. No one deserves torture."

Baatar stared at the concrete wall in front of them. "I'm going to kill him."

"No, you're not," said Asami, matter-of-factly.

"Manslaughter."

"No. And legally, you can't plan that."

"Maim."

"I can't let you do that either."

"Yell at him."

"He just pardoned you."

Baatar glared at her. "So? This is the United Republic. I have the right to---"

"Actually, you don't. You're not a citizen, so you don't have the right to speak freely against the government."

"...then I'll write him a very strongly worded letter."

"Okay, how about this..." Asami sighed and gave him an apologetic look. "You write the most vulgar, crass and angry letter you possibly can, and I'll sign it. I'll even put it on my stationery. I sincerely doubt I'll have an issue with anything you might write about Raiko."

"Deal."

"Good. Now get out of the car and get to work. You have a war to win."

"Don't you mean  _we_  have a war to win?"

"No. No I do not."

 

* * *

 

"I gotta admit, when you suggested looking at this in a different way…" said Korra, poking her head out over Oog's saddle and down at Jingdao. "This is not what I thought we'd be doing."

Calling it a shantytown no longer made sense. The refugees were nearing the one hundred thousand mark, if the RCPD's estimations were anything to go by, and they'd just kept building upward and outward. At first, second, and third glance it looked like another district of Republic City; an addition to the east side. In fact, if not for the border wall, Korra wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

It sort of looked like Raiko was trying to keep his own citizens out, which was more than a little odd.

"Sometimes the most literal of interpretations can also be the most effective," said Tenzin, keeping Oogi in a slow, meandering turn. "Hopefully, this change in perspective will encourage new ideas and solutions."

"Is this really a problem, though?" she said, looking at the back of Tenzin's head. "These people just want a safe place to live, and it sort of looks like they made their own when they couldn't find one.  And it's not like they could just buy their way into the country, since their money is still worthless..."  She really wanted to smack whoever had that idea.

"I agree with you, Korra, but unfortunately that isn't the reality of the situation. At least, not for the United Republic. It's still their territory, and it's up to us to think of a peaceful solution."

"Yeah, I know." Korra frowned and looked down through her binoculars. "Oh, wow. Tenzin, they've got farms down there. Big ones. Northeast, between the mountains."

"Amazing. I had no idea that the people here were so resourceful."

"People adapt, no matter hard it gets. You don't have to be Water Tribe to do it, but it helps. Speaking of water, I think I see docks. With ships." She inspected the large freighters anchored outside Jingdao. "Varrick Industries International.  Huh.  Didn't know he had ships that weren't icebreakers..."

"That's either very good, or very bad."

"Not much of a middle ground with that guy, but I don't think he'd try and exploit refugees. I'm pretty sure Asami would have broken more ribs, otherwise."

Tenzin frowned and turned to face her. "Is she doing all right?"

Korra put down her binoculars and leaned back in the saddle. "That's a complicated question."

"Most things in life are."

"Heh. Yeah. She's doing better, that much I can tell. Something changed last week, and I don't know what it was, but she's really starting to seem like her old self again." Korra shrugged.

"That's good to hear."

"Sorta. She's s _tarting_  to, not almost there or halfway. I kind of wish I knew what it was like to lose somebody that close to me, so I could help more. But I can only do so much. Most of it is really just up to her."

"We all have our methods of grieving for those we've lost. After Avatar Aang passed, I focused on retaining Republic City. And...not dying."

"Makes sense. Why do you call him that, though? He was your dad. I mean, I sort of get that you're trying to respect his legacy, but his legacy is---isn't that your kids? The New Air Nation? And me, in a way?"

Tenzin sighed. "It's an old habit. Calling my father Avatar Aang was a way in which I chose to grieve. I thought, foolishly, if I could distance myself from the loss of my father, and rationalize it as the shared sense of loss the world felt after losing its Avatar, that it would be easier to deal with."

"Was it?"

"No, but Pema was there to pick up the pieces. Just as you are for Asami."

Korra's eyes glazed over as she stared at her boots. "I don't think it's the same."

"Well, no two relationships are identical, yes, but I'm sure the intentions are."

"...did you snap at Pema and say something that you regretted? Something that couldn't be unsaid or forgotten? The kind of thing that only you could know to say. The one thing, the only string of words that could just break her entirely."

Tenzin tightened his grip on the reins. "No. I did not."

"Asami did. I know she didn't mean it. I know it wasn't her. I know what it's like to lose control like that." She bit her lip and rubbed her burning eyes. "But it still hurt more than anything else ever could," she choked.

"You don't have to tell me what it was," he said softly.

"I know, and I'm not going to. This is between me and her, and I'm only telling you this much because I can't keep going around every day with this over my head like it's some secret stain. Or bruise, or something." She sniffled and looked up at him. "I really don't know how to move forward from this. I forgave her a while ago, but that's just not enough and I don't know why."

"You need to talk to her about this, Korra. Tell her how you feel."

Korra rolled her eyes. "Thanks. I never would have thought of that. I know I have to talk to her, but I can't do that until she's okay to talk in the first place! I'll just end up hurting her if I bring it up before she's ready." She sighed and sat up, picking up her binoculars. "Let's just focus on this right now, okay?"

Tenzin stared at her for a long moment. "You've come such a long way since you first arrived. It's astounding."

Korra groaned. "I know! I was there, I lived the whole thing, and I am sick and tired of everybody saying things like that. Every other day somebody comes up to me and says I used to be this, or that, and how amazing it is that I've 'matured so much'. I remember what I was like! You don't need to keep reminding me, because I'm just trying to do my job here so I'd appreciate it if you'd stop bringing that up, okay?"

Tenzin cleared his throat and went back to flying Oogi.

"Anyway," said Korra. "I don't see why the United Forces can't just take refugee volunteers and grant them citizenship. They need troops and lots of these people used to be soldiers for the Earth Empire. Or just have Raiko expand the city limits, like he said he wanted to do in the first place. That guy flip flops a lot."

"That he does." Tenzin scratched his beard. "I'm sure he's heard both proposals, but when you combine them like that I'm struggling to see a reason as to why he wouldn't jump at the opportunity. It would certainly help the citizens of the former Earth Kingdom solve their own problems..."

Korra furrowed her brow. "Hey, yeah. Maybe that's the key. They don't get citizenship, but they do get to fight alongside the United Forces and help save their homes. That way, when everything is said and done, they have somewhere to go back to."

"You could be right. I'll fly us over to City Hall so we can present this Raiko. It's certainly worth a try."

Korra winced. "Uh, actually I think we should call ahead and make an appointment first. It would be very rude if we didn't."

Tenzin raised a brow. "What brought this on?"

"Me being impulsive and then mature enough to recognize how silly it is that I keep thinking that kicking down a door is an effective way to make people listen to me."

"You broke his door, didn't you?"

"No, of course not!"

"Oh, good."

"I  _tried_  to break his door. Kuvira was the one who actually got to do it."

 

* * *

 

Mako flipped through the new training manual and wrinkled his nose. It was gibberish to him. He'd never considered himself technically minded, but it wasn't like being a detective demanded a degree in engineering. Or really any kind, if he was thinking about it. But, in the wake of Chief's discovery of an attempted spirit bombing, every single capable and trustworthy officer in the department had been called in to central's large briefing room for 'special training'. It even came with its own special book, complete with an interesting illustration of a spirit vine winding around a big explosion.

 _Rudimentary Spirit Bomb Defusal_ , written by Zhu Li Varrick and Sir Iknik Blackstone Varrick. Published by Varrick Industries International in association with Future Industries. As for why Zhu Li had to be the one to deliver the lecture, Mako had no idea.

Mako exchanged an odd look with Harumi, his training partner and...in other ways as well. Brown hair, light blue eyes, mostly Fire Nation ancestry, looked younger than she was. Long and short of her. Not that she was short, or shallow, or anything like that, but it wasn't as if he could sum her up in a few thoughts. He couldn't do that with anyone.

"All right, then. Step 1, remove access panel." Harumi quickly opened the bomb casing and inspected its innards. "Huh. Looks like the inside of a radio. What's the next step, Mako?"

Mako quickly read through the first few instructions. "Step 2, confirm glow color." He raised a brow and looked at the bomb. "...glow? Oh. Is there anything purple in there?"

"Purple? Let me see..." she said, carefully sifting through the mass of cables and electronics. "There are lots of wires, a purple car battery, and a stick. That's probably supposed to be the vine."

Mako checked off 'Step 2' with his pen. "Step 3...okay, this is way more wordy than it needs to be. Basically, if the spirit vine is active and glowing bright purple, see if there's anything between the battery and the vine. An intermediary."

Harumi squinted and followed the wiring from the vine to the battery. "Nope. It's a direct connection." They both snickered. "What's the next step?"

"If there's no intermediary, skip to step 57..." He quickly scanned the page. "Step 57, run away, because there's no way to stop the detonation of a 'dirty bomb' other than using a Future Industries Unity Defense Device or licensed equivalent. For information on possible consequences of detonation, see page 217."

"What? Let me see that." Harumi snatched the manual out of his hands and flipped to the aforementioned page. "...in the event of premature detonation under atypical circumstances, as outlined in appendix 178 on page 302, there is a .000042% chance that the energy discharge will result in the creation of an unstable spirit portal if the weapon in question possesses a sufficient payload. Specifics yet to be determined. Addendum: Hopefully never, because that would be really bad. Really bad. As in, end of the world bad---" She huffed and narrowed her eyes. "Why are all the footnotes rambling warnings? It's a waste of space, ink and paper."

Mako looked over her shoulder and read it along with her. "That's Varrick for you."

"Remind me never to meet him in person. Just reading this is giving me a headache." She handed him the manual. "So, it's a dirty bomb if there's nothing between the power source and the vine. What about the regular kind?"

Mako furrowed his brow and flipped back to the first page. "Uhhh, remove the battery and burn the vine once it stops being purple."

"Well, that'll be hard to screw up. I guess I should start bringing a lighter everywhere, huh?"

Mako gave her a sly grin. "Don't you already?"

Harumi playfully rolled her eyes.

"Any luck?" asked Chief Beifong, her brow ached as she was suddenly right behind them.

"Some, Chief," said Harumi. "It seems like all one needs to deal with these spirit bombs is a source of fire and a decent understanding of modern appliances."

"Then why is it the training manual over four hundred pages long?" She turned to glare at Zhu Li. "What was the point of this?"

Zhu Li, who was hunched over and assisting another pair of officers, gave her a blank stare. "You can never be too prepared."

"Whatever. It's propaganda. Everybody dies unless you buy our crap. Mako, you know that Sato girl better than I do. Think she'd pull something like this?"

Mako laughed once. "Asami? No, never. This has to be Varrick---"

Zhu Li cleared her throat and glared at him.

"---by which I mean it was his great idea to...urge us to buy things from a rival company? That's just confusing."

Harumi shook her head and flipped back to page 213. "No, not quite. 'Licensed equivalent'. He must be planning on making his own version of those pillar things they've been drilling into the ground everywhere."

Chief Beifong looked between the two of them. "We're not doing that. The last time the city didn't buy from Future Industries..." She trailed off into a smirk. "You know what? I think I'll let the detective tell that story. Makes him out to be a 'hero'."

Harumi looked up at him curiously. "Hero, eh?"

Mako shrugged. "Don't get your hopes up, I wasn't really---" Chief Beifong shot him a glare so powerful that he almost fell over. Right, he forgot about how that night ended. He had to be held accountable for Asami's body count, or she'd have been sent to prison. "---as amazing as Chief makes me out to be. But I was still pretty amazing, if I do say so myself."

"You never do, so now I have to know this story."

"It's a good one," said Chief Beifong. "And after that..." She slammed a fat stack of paperwork onto his desk. "You can both fill out these government workplace relationship forms, in triplicate, for...Saikhan to look over and file."

Saikhan looked up from his test bomb and frowned. "I serve as your deputy chief for nearly twenty years, and one laugh makes me your butthogmonkey."

"Spirit vines aren't funny, Saikhan! Now shape up or I'll have you on latrine duty!"

"We don't even have those!"

"Well then I'll buy some and get the rookies to dirty them up just so you can have something to clean!"

Mako blushed. "How did you---"

"I can feel your heart beats with my feet. I knew what I was looking for. Now get back to work on these bombs! If there's even  _one_  unsanctioned detonation, it'll be Saikhan's ass!"

Saikhan groaned.

 

* * *

 

Baatar tapped his pen against his desk, which looked eerily similar to the kind of decorum one would find in Zaofu. In fact, everything about his new office reminded him of home. The chairs, the paintings, the tables and even the clock. Baatar wasn't sure to be impressed or disturbed by the absurd attention to detail.

He stared at the blank piece of Asami's stationery. Perhaps he should practice a few times before writing his letter on it. Really formulate exactly what he wanted to say, and exactly how horrifically he wanted to say it. If he were a better writer, he'd attempt to translate the feeling of strangulation to the page. But he wasn't.

Someone knocked on his door and he stared at it for a few moments, considering how to---oh, right he was the  _CTO_  of a multinational conglomerate. How could he have forgotten that?

"Come in," he said, fishing a notebook out of his drawers and writing out bullet points of the things he wanted to scream at Raiko about. Number one, torture. Number two, punching him repeatedly in the face…

His door swung open to reveal Artana with a very friendly smile. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Baatar gestured for her to close the door. "I just got out of prison a few hours ago, Artana," he said chuckling. "I'm not doing anything that can't wait. It's good to see you."

Artana closed the door and sat down in front of his desk. "Likewise, Baatar. How are you doing?"

"You mean besides enjoying all of this fresh air and employment?"

"We can talk about those things too, if you'd rather. I'm on break."

Baatar waved her off. "No, that's all right. There's not much to say about that." He grimaced and cleaned his glasses. "Well, I suppose that's not entirely true…"

Artana raised a brow. "Temporary release?"

"If only. No, as it turns out, until a few days ago, Kuvira thought she'd killed me because Raiko  _told her I was dead._ "

Artana flattened her lips into a thin line and gave him a hard look. "That's hardly surprising. He already used her as live bait to lure out loyalists, which nearly destroyed Asami's home in the process."

Baatar sighed and rubbed his temples. "I know---wait, he used her as bait? When did this happen?"

"A little while a go. It was a wonderful party, up until the attempted kidnapping. Even then it was interesting to see that much improvisational combat in such a small area. Especially with so many civilians around."

"That bastard!" he growled. "Who does he think he is?! He can't just use my---" He cut himself off and stared blankly at his desk. "Is there even a word for this?"

Artana frowned sympathetically and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't think there is."

He leaned back in his chair and pinched his brow. His chest tightened as his thoughts circled around Kuvira, tired and alone and drowning in guilt that shouldn't have existed. No,  _no_ , some of that she should feel! Right? Yes! Maybe! "Even after she tried to kill me, I still can't---after all this time, I thought I'd moved past her but she's...she's still there."

Artana absently rubbed her arm and looked away.

"You can never really fall out of love, can you?" he whispered.

"No. You really can't."

Baatar stared at the ceiling and sat in silence for several minutes, gathering his thoughts. Consolidating them. Reorganizing them and filing them away to be reviewed at a later date. For the moment, he had a job to do. He had a war to win.

"I suppose now would be a good time to bring me up to speed on weapons development."

Artana turned back to him and perked up. "Of course. Has Asami filled you in on the Satohawk and the armaments we're loading it with for the United Forces?"

"She did, yes. I assume there's still some work to be done on those."

"No, not at all. Those are already in full production, and many of the civilian pilots we've been training volunteered for active combat duty, so that was an easy gain. For all intents and purposes, that project is done."

Baatar wrinkled his nose. "All right. What are you working on right now, then?"

She smiled. "More effective forms of body armor and modernizing siege engines."

He stood and extended his hand. "Just like old times?"

Artana shook it firmly, meeting his eyes. "Just like old times."

"Then let's get started."

 

* * *

 

Korra didn't really know how to react to what she was seeing. It was one thing to walk in on Asami covered in grease, sweat and working on something incomprehensible. It was another thing to find her trying to use her fans to move a boulder, admittedly to some success. It was yet another thing to find her passed out on the couch, table, chair and even sometimes the bed.

And yet, it was a fourth thing altogether to enter the library, and find that Asami was in the middle of remodeling it to contain a series of electric model train tracks. Wiring was exposed, the walls were all but torn open entirely, and a full complement of tools and materials were scattered across the few open spots in the bookcases.

There was also, for some reason, a subtly leaking fish tank devoid of fish in the center of the room. Korra sealed the tiny cracks with ice and took a closer look at Asami's newest, and quite honestly random, project.

"Do you love model trains now, or is this a work thing?"

Asami turned around with a big smile. "Hey! A bit of both, actually. I went down to this---okay, it was a children's toy store on the upper west side. I completely forgot that I had a subsidiary that made model kits of our more popular products."

Korra smiled and looked at the gathering of little models. "Well, we have a biplane, a battleship, your old satomobile, the dirgible..."

Asami picked up the oversized airship and pointed at the glass canopy. "This is the deluxe model. If you look closely, you can see the little conference room we used to use. And over here are the state rooms, and the kitchen. The little front door opens. Watch." She flicked a switch Korra couldn't see and the miniaturized door slid open and close. "How cute is that?"

"Very cute. Are there any little toy Nagas or Oogis?"

"No, I had to carve those. They're over at Air Temple Island. The scale model, not the real one. It's over by the globe."

Korra stole a glance at said model. It was extremely detailed, and it wouldn't surprise her if it had the right number of trees. To scale, of course. "Wow. I can't believe Tenzin signed off on that. It's even up to date with the new Air Nation stuff."

"That one is not actually from a kit. I made it from memory."

"Oh. That's pretty amazing."

"Thanks. But, look, they've even got toy mecha-tanks." She said, carefully setting the dirgible down and tossing Korra a very detailed model of one of her father's old designs. Thankfully, they were not platinum.

Korra poked it in the 'head'. "This is a weird thing to have a toy of."

Asami tilted her head and shrugged. "That's what I said at first, but you have to remember that most people didn't have to fight these things. They've only seen them in the movers."

"I guess I'd want one too if that was the only place I'd seen them." She carefully placed the mecha-tank next to the satomobile and flicked it onto its back with her index finger. She made explosion noises and wiggled her fingers.

Asami snickered. "These are more fun than you'd think, huh?"

"Oh, absolutely. How's this all related to work, though? Are you testing toys for kids?"

"No, I think I outsourced that to some company in the Fire Nation. Their child literacy rating is almost one hundred percent, so they can typically get a better sample for focus testing."

Korra bit her lip and smiled. It was extremely refreshing to see that side of Asami. The one who wasn't drowning in grief or shouldering a burden she could just barely manage. Things were getting better, but she was still concerned. Just overall. Just to be safe.

"The toys are just for fun. The train tracks and the fish tank are for testing the underwater magnet train. Well, the principles of them." She looked over at the fish tank and wrinkled her nose. "We were doing some indoor testing last week---what's with the ice?"

"It was leaking, so I fixed it."

"It was? Thank you. I have no idea how I missed that..." Asami walked over the tank and meticulously inspected each every inch of it. "It's certainly not a good sign if I can't be held accountable for the structural integrity of a fish tank, let alone a hermetically sealed underwater tunnel system..."

Korra blinked. "A what?"

"Watertight structure. Anyway, what's up?"

"Uhhhh..." Korra scratched the back of her head. She had completely forgotten why she'd---oh right! "Everything going okay with Baatar?"

Asami nodded. "So far so good. I've already offloaded all weapons development projects to him, so I am officially, as of..." She checked the clock. "...ten hours ago, no longer involved. Clear conscience!"

Korra smiled. "That's great!"

"Completely clean!"

"Yeah!"

"Absolutely nothing on my mind."

"Right."

"Didn't have to get my hands dirty."

"Uhm. Okay."

"In fact, I just shipped off two dozen Satohawks to the front lines with a full compliment of troops and armaments!" She laughed bitterly and glared at her model trains. "At least I can protect your family better than I could my own, right?" Asami huffed and flipped a switch, sending the train cars chugging around the room. She covered her face with her hand and frowned. "I'm sorry. I just---going to the prison was hard, today."

Korra sighed and embraced her from behind, burying her head in Asami's shoulder. "It's all right. It's done, and you don't ever have to go there again."

"Hopefully." Asami squeezed her hands tightly. "There was a moment, and I know this is crazy, but I honestly thought that my dad was going to walk outside through those doors, and it would have been this cruel, horrible trick somebody played on me. Surprise! Your father's not dead! We just told you that so you'd do what we wanted! But at least he'd..." She choked back a sob. "He'd still be alive."

"Did you feel like this when, uhm..." Korra cleared her throat and resigned to hug her tighter. "Y'know..."

"When I went to visit Baatar the first time, you mean?"

"Yes, that."

"No, I didn't feel like this at all. Excluding our...rather infuriating misunderstanding, that was nothing. I guess in the back of my mind, I always thought that I'd be standing there when he was inevitably released. And then...I don't know. We never got that far," she whispered.

Korra frowned and gently turned Asami around. Asami needed to get out of her head, and she was pretty sure she knew the perfect way and place to do it. She looked up at her with a small smile. "Hey. Let's go visit my parents."

Asami raised her brows. "What? Why?" She bit her lip. "Sorry, that came out wrong. I meant why  _now_? I've got ten thousand things to do and I don't think your parents would like having a mopey guest around the house."

Korra kissed her lightly on the lips. "You won't be mopey, you're hardly a guest, and if we go you can make sure that your defense system is installed right. That'd give me, you, and my parents peace of mind."

Asami slowly smiled. "...okay. I think I can manage that. But then we have to go the Fire Nation right after that to oversee installation there, as well. And then probably the Northern Water Tribe. Every major population center."

"I've never been to the Fire Nation. That'll be really cool!"

"It's beautiful, and I haven't been in a year or so. I think you'll really enjoy it."

"Already looking forward to---"

They turned toward the fish tank as the train cars loudly shorted out in the water in a bright flash of light.

Asami clenched her eyes shut. "I can fix that."

 

* * *

 

General Iroh grimaced as the latest loyalist raiding party charged toward their position. The United Forces had been trying to retake Omashu for the past month, and every attempt at entering the city had ended in failure. They were at a standstill. A bloody war of attrition. It had gotten so bad that he had actually inserted himself into the fight directly, which he hadn't done since the First Battle of Republic City.

He planted his feet and took a direct hit from a VarriMech's electrical cannon. The energy surged through his body, shaking him from head to toe as it flowed from his arm, to his stomach, and out his offhand. He shot a massive bolt of lightning at the mecha-suit, destroying it utterly and damaging the two closest to it. But there were several dozen more still advancing.

General Iroh took several deep breaths and ducked behind a metal barrier for cover. And then he heard something...odd. It sounded almost like a fleet of biplanes, but much louder, and closer. He looked to the western sky and gaped.

A squadron of Satohawks emerged from the cover of the mid morning fog and flew over the raiding party for a bombing run, eradicating everything below them in a brutal display of explosive, military might. The sheer number of detonations shook the ground and rattled his teeth, kicking up dirt and dust around him and his forces. A second squadron arrived soon after and mopped up the stragglers with some sort of massive lightning cannon that scorched the earth and melted tanks. Cheers and applause erupted from every position and General Iroh issued his silent thanks to Miss Sato.

One of the Satohawks landed in the clearing behind him. The ramp lowered and two squads of soldiers filed out of the back. An officer slid the side door open and hopped out. The man sprinted up to him, ducking his head away from the wind buffeting rotors.

"Sir! It looks like we got here just in time," he said, saluting.

"Indeed you did." General Iroh returned the gesture. "At ease, soldier. I was under the impression that troops were in short supply. Who are these people you've brought with you?"

"Metalbenders, sir. New arrangement Raiko made with the refugees outside Republic City. Enlist in the United Forces temporarily and help take back their homes."

General Iroh raised his brows and looked back at the imposing sight of the city built by the very first earthbenders. "Then let's hope they're from Omashu."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who don't follow me on tumblr, I posted a few RRaU relevant things since the last update. I'll leave the URLs here if you folks are interested. At the very least, I highly encourage giving the "Spirit Vine Metaphysics" one a read. I worked my butt off on that, and it's far more in-depth than I could possibly go in this story.
> 
> Spirit Vines: http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/114642565116/spirit-vine-meta-physics-or-how-mako-nearly
> 
> Artana's Tattoo designs: http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/114556736701/thejmpr-my-beta-and-good-friend-cooked-up-these
> 
> Artana! (Preliminary Concept Art): http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/115409108641/artana-the-mechanic-sketch-linework-and-inking
> 
> Bird's Eye View of Jingdao: http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/115157974026/jingdao-circa-175-ag-northeastern-border
> 
> Anyway, other notes:  
> -Yes, that is the Operator that Mako is doing things with during the EOD lecture. Her name is Harumi, and we probably won't see her again until the very end of the story. She wasn't going to show up at all, besides in the background, but it just made sense for her to be there.  
> -Korra's rant about her maturity is just me poking fun at tumblr/reddit/the fandom in general in regards to her character growth. I totally agree with Tenzin, and her arc is beautiful, but jesus can we stop rehashing that and focus on other stuff? Heh.  
> -Asami distracting herself with models, and then one of them exploding, is partially a reference to "Back to the Future", where Doc Brown somehow magics up an almost to scale model of several parts of Hill Valley in an afternoon. And then sets one of them on fire during the demonstration.  
> -Anyone else notice that I seem to reference "Bust Some Heads" and "You Can't Fix Everything" a lot? S'kinda weird. 
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. No matter how small, scathing, random or rambling your thoughts may be, I wanna hear 'em.


	16. Trifecta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mind, Body and Spirit.
> 
> You're gonna need all three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by thejmpr
> 
> Special Thanks to iviscrit, author of the awesome "Ironclad" (which you should all read), for overhauling everything Baavira so it wasn't stupid! Seriously, I can't write Baavira to save my life. Oy.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_9 Months, Two Weeks after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Early Summer, 175 A.G._

 

Asami made a few careful adjustments on her sketchpad. The rise and fall of Naga's furry belly could alter her work just enough to cause a problem. Not that she minded, of course. She smiled a little, allowing herself to melt into the polar bear dog's warmth as their boat sailed south across the seemingly endless sea.

Korra stirred beside her, nose deep in her signed, 1st Edition copy of  _Dragon of the West._ The pages were yellowed and faded a tad from age, but otherwise it was in great condition. Korra wasn't the most avid of readers, but when she found a book she liked, she consumed it with the same gusto she did with everything else.

"Korra."

"Hm?"

"I think I figured out how to build that armor you suggested."

Korra tilted her head and looked at the sketchpad. "The thing with more things?"

Asmai chortled and tapped the butt of her pen to the page, focusing on the tight chest plate of the armor. "That's the one. It's made of compression fabric with platinum woven in so the small mechanical components within are protected. Baatar is actually working on perfecting that right now. Should also give some protection against spirit energy blasts, though with any luck that won't be something we'll need to test."

"Wait, platinum can block spirit energy?"

"Mhmm. Otherwise, making a cannon would be all but impossible. It would just burn through the barrel."

"Makes sense." She tapped the bumps that ran along the armor sketch. "What are these?"

"It's...think of it like mechanical airbending. It's compressed air that can vent through several points on the suit to assist in speed, agility, and mid-air course correction. I got the idea from some of the VarriMech tech. Lots of pressurized weaponry."

Korra raised her brows. "Woah. That's brilliant."

"Thanks. Who knows if it'll work in practice, though."

Korra smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "It will. And if it doesn't, I'll catch you as you're falling through the sky."

Asami rolled her eyes playfully. "Literally, in this case."

"Yup. And that thing on the side is..."

"For personal use. It's a sword that can split apart into a fan. Platinum-steel alloy, of course."

"Of course," she said, returning to her book. "And where does the electricity come in?"

"...the gloves. They use the metal in the blade as a conductor and the current redirects through itself until you shut it off." She puffed out her cheeks and scribbled a few notes on necessary thrust for flight in the corner. Unlikely. "Am I really that predictable?"

"You built a giant cannon that shoots so much lightning it actually blows up tanks. You're not predictable, but you've certainly got a pattern in some things. Not most, but some." Korra underlined a passage with her finger. "...and according to Iroh, a pattern is just another form of passion."

"Korra. I've all but memorized that book."

"Well, I haven't, and this is still new for me."

Naga barked and licked Asami's face with her very wet tongue.

"And Naga. Also new for Naga," said Korra, giving her a crooked grin.

"True." Asami rubbed Naga's chin and felt Korra bend the drool off of her head and into the sea. "Sorry. I guess I'm just used to being the only one in the room who's read it."

"Tenzin has."

"Really? I wish I'd known that. I would have loved to discuss it with him."

"I'm sure he'd love that."

 

* * *

 

" _...and in other news, the Free Fire Society, a political activist organization most famous for its demand of an end to the Fire Nation monarchy, has been picking up steam recently. Membership numbers have gone up, and protests are becoming more and more common all across the country. Fire Lord Izumi has yet to issue a formal comment on these events."_

Kuvira perked up from her meditative posture and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She slowly opened one of her eyes to glance at the radio on the nightstand across from her humble cot. That wasn't right. The Fire Nation had been content for centuries under the rule of the monarchy. Even during the Hundred Year War, there were few citizens who were unhappy with their government.

Kuvira opened one of the drawers on her nightstand, retrieved one of her many, many notebooks and meticulously jotted everything down. Thoughts needed to be conserved before they escaped her. There was no telling when they could be relevant later.

To make matters more disconcerting, all of the research she'd done on the current Fire Lord suggested that she was adored by her people. Not simply because she was the daughter of Lord Zuko, but for her own accomplishments. True, it could be that the Fire Nation wanted to progress to a new form of self governance, most likely a democracy or a republic. Advance with the times.

But why  _now_?

A light knock at her door forced her out of her thoughts. It was so soft she almost hadn't heard it. Kuvira carefully closed her notebook and set it down on the nightstand, tapping the cover simply...to remind herself where she was. She pushed off of her cot and walked across the pale stone floor to her door.

She had expected the Avatar. Or perhaps Raiko. Or the White Lotus. Really,  _anyone._ Anyone but Baatar. Baatar who was standing there. Right in front of her. The shallow rise and fall of his chest denoting that  _yes he was alive and breathing._ Not dead. Not vaporized. She had failed, she had  _failed_ and she'd never felt so happy that she had failed.

"Baatar?" she asked hopefully.

Kuvira stared up at him, frozen in uncertainty. Half of her wanted to embrace him, on so many instinctual levels, and the muscles in her arms violently protested their lack of use. The other half of her just wanted to remain calm. Understand where they stood before taking action. Be meticulous, be careful, be calculating---

"Hello, Kuvira."

His voice cracked her resolve, but she managed to reach a compromise with her body's own needs. She reached out to touch him, just to rest her hand on his chest, but hesitated. "May I?" she asked awkwardly. "Just so I can know…"

He nodded.

Kuvira placed her palm on his chest, but he flinched. Recoiled from her. She snatched back her hand.

"I---I needed to be…" Kuvira leaned against her doorframe and bowed her head, her unbound hair falling over her shoulders. "Or maybe I'm just hallucinating again," she whispered as a very distinct, cold chill ran up her spine. It felt like mud sliding down her bare back. The damn swamp.

Baatar seemed to struggle with himself, giving her a thorough once over. "What did they do to you?" he asked. There was curiosity, but she thought she detected some warmth... still, she couldn't be sure and that made it hurt all the more.

Kuvira shrugged and averted her gaze. Months and months and  _months_ of him being dead-eye contact would have been difficult enough if she hadn't been fed that lie. "Nothing I didn't deserve, in the end."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Baatar looked past her and into her modest 'home', if one could even call it that. "May I come in?"

She nodded and shut the door behind him as he passed, the entire experience becoming more and more surreal by the moment. It occurred to her that her hair was a mess, and she should really---no. No, it didn't matter anymore. He wouldn't care, and he wouldn't have cared in the first place.

Baatar took a quick look around her apartment. "This is nice."

Kuvira snorted. "More than I expected." She sat at the edge of her bed. "I really don't know what to say right now," she said, feeling very uncomfortable in her own skin. She had the unbearable desire to just hide under the covers.

Baatar sighed. "I don't know either. I woke up today and knew I needed to see you. I put it off as long as I could, but..." He followed her eyes as she tried to avert them. Over and over again. "And I thought you might need to see me too."

Kuvira nodded and kept his gaze. "I did." She rubbed her hands together anxiously. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to," she said softly, hoping against hope that he'd stay. "This was more than enough."

Baatar sat down beside her and slouched. He folded his glasses and set them on the nightstand, right on top of her notebook. "You know, before you opened the door...that's exactly what I told myself I would do. Just... say hello and leave, maybe come back. Maybe not." He rubbed his eyes. "But, even after everything, I couldn't let you wallow in here without solid  _proof_ that I was alive."

"Thank you." Kuvira rubbed her arms as her chest twisted in on itself; the overwhelming altruism he was displaying was simply...it was simply that. Overwhelming. She closed her burning eyes. "I saw you," she blurted, hoping to keep him with her just a little longer. He could afford a little more altruism. Even if she was being a little selfish.

"What?"

Kuvira shifted on the bed and stared down at her palms. "I saw you in the swamp. Months ago. It showed me a vision of what might have been. In it, you were alive, and you saved my life with some odd machine." She patted her sternum. "I think it ran on vines. I couldn't feel my heart beating."

Baatar screwed up his face and shivered. "That's...I don't know what that is."

"If everyone in the warehouse, except you, had died. If I had won. I wouldn't have stopped." She shivered. "I'd have just  _kept going._ I destroyed the Fire Nation, too. It meant  _nothing_ and I---" Kuvira shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It never happened, and it never will."

Baatar stared at her in silence for a very, very long time. Anything would be better than his continued scrutiny. He could insult her, berate her, threaten to leave. she wouldn't blame him. She  _couldn't_ blame him. More than anything she was just happy to have him there.

"Have you been eating well?" he said at last.

"Yes! Yes," she said, lowering her eyes. "They're not starving me, if that's what you mean."

Baatar rubbed his eyes. "Good."

Kuvira rested her hands on her lap and closed her eyes. "I never lied to you, you know. Not once. Everyone else, from time to time. But you? She forced herself to look at him, letting her features relax into a tentative smile. "Not you, Baatar. Never you. I always saw you differently."

His eyes hardened, and Kuvira swallowed.

"I find it difficult to believe that," he said, an edge to his voice. "If you love someone, you don't try and murder them and their entire family."

Kuvira shook her head cooly. She'd had this exact conversation in her head thousands of times before. Perhaps, if she could just convince him now, they could both move forward. "That's not what that was."

"Love?" His hands clenched into fists. "So... I was right, you never---"

"No." She took a shaky breath. "I loved you then. I loved you before I fired. I loved you when I fired. I loved you after." Kuvira hesitated, stopping her tongue before it did something moronic. Yet, she still wanted to. So she did. "And I still love you now."

"You tried to kill me with a weapon that  _I_ built."

"Can you really deny that my actions weren't tactically sound? The only ones able to resist us were in that room with you. If it hadn't have been you down there, would you have protested in the slightest?"

Baatar averted his gaze. "This isn't the same. This---you tried to kill me! Your fiance! You tried to kill my mother, my brothers, and my sister!"

Kuvira set her jaw. "You'd have me play favorites as the commander? It is always the same. No one is special. It broke my heart to do it, Baatar. You have to believe me."

Baatar frowned intensely and rose from the bed. He glared down at her, his nostrils flaring. "After three years of hell, you were willing toss our future away. Without a second thought. Everything we worked to build! Everything we believed in! Everything that---"

"Our personal life has _nothing_  to do with the empire!" she said coldly. "At least  _I_  never abandoned my ideals," said Kuvira, her voice rising as it boomed through her small apartment. "I have never stopped fighting. I have never stopped trying to help. What you fail to understand is that our happiness doesn't matter if our people can't feel safe! If my execution were to help the former Earth Kingdom in  _any_ way, I would be the first to arrive to the ceremony." She held her head a little higher. "This was never for  _us._ It was for  _them."_

Baatar gaped and ran his fingers through his hair. "Are you kidding!? All of that talk of loyalty, and it means nothing to you! We were family!"

Kuvira's eyes flashed and she stood, staring at him in anger and disbelief. Even the surreal nature of seeing him alive again did little to quell the force of her gaze. "Loyalty to the  _nation._ Loyalty to the  _Empire._ Loyalty to the 'Great Uniter'. The symbol! The rallying cry, Baatar! Hope! Peace of mind! Prosperity! Food, water, medicine, a better tomorrow!" She paused. "You and I were family, yes. But I asked our troops to sacrifice theirs for the empire. What gives me special privileges?"

"Kuvira, I poured my heart out to you, did that mean  _nothing?_  I can't  _believe_  you're still standing by what you did."

"I am nothing without my people! I am my nation!" she yelled in his face, jabbing his sternum.

"That's how it's always been, Baatar! I'm sorry if you can't see that this had nothing to do with you, but it didn't."

"All hail the Great Uniter!" he said mockingly.

She balled her hands into fists. "Showing weakness to that degree would have---"

Baatar scoffed. "Oh! Oh, of course. You see me as your weakness, that explains it. I suppose the fact that I was your  _fiance_ , the man who  _built you the giant mecha-suit,_ who meant  _nothing_ to you,is where the enemy should strike."

"Don't twist my words," she snapped. "Besides, it worked, didn't it? They knew the fastest way to get to me was through you."

"And that's why you fired on me? To get rid of...an emotional tether?"

"I DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE!"

"NOBODY MADE YOU FIRE! I KNOW HOW IT WORKS! IT'S MECHANICALLY IMPOSSIBLE!"

"IT WAS EITHER KILL YOU, AND SAVE MILLIONS FROM GENERATIONS OF AN ENDLESS NIGHTMARE, OR GIVE UP AND CONDEMN MY PEOPLE!" she growled. "I love you, Baatar, but you can't expect me to put you above what must be done. There is nothing I wouldn't sacrifice for my nation. That includes you. That also includes me, if it makes it easier to stomach.

Baatar pinched his brow. "Stop saying you love me."

"Never."

He sighed, exhausted. "Kuvira, please. Haven't you put me through enough?"

"No." Kuvira shook her head. "I'm not going to lie and say I ever stopped, even when you were 'dead'. I doubt I ever will. I don't expect you to forgive me for hurting you, or that we could ever get back to what he had, or anything resembling it, but do not think for a moment that I never loved you. I do love you, Baatar-"

"I love you too, dammit!" he burst out helplessly. "Still! And I don't know how that's even possible! Why can't I hate you?!" Baatar sat back down on the bed and buried his head in hands. "I can't force myself. Believe me, I've tried. I've had enough time to develop hatred, apathy, even to just stop loving you, but I can't...it just won't...it's not there. It doesn't make sense! My life no longer makes any sense!"

Kuvira sighed. "If it doesn't make sense, and you can't make sense of it, stop searching for logic and reason where there isn't any to be found." She sat down beside him. "I'm not sure what my life has become either, if that makes things easier."

"Somehow, it does..."

"Do you want to know the largest stipulation Raiko demanded when offering my 'release'?" He didn't respond, so she continued. "...I am property of the United Republic. A tool of the government."

Baatar sat up straight and his eyes bugged out of his head. "That's---"

"Something I agreed to. Indentured servitude until such time that the former Earth Kingdom is deemed stable enough for me to...go about my own life."

"They'll never let you go. You had to have known that."

"I did."

"Then  _why?"_

Kuvira narrowed her eyes. "I already told you. There is nothing and no one I would not sacrifice for the betterment of my people. That includes myself."

He stared at her. "You're deluded." He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're completely deluded."

"And you're not dead," she said, trying to smile and feeling tears prick at her eyes.

"I'm not," he said, his voice in the familiar, gentle tone he always used when he sensed she was upset. "They never should have lied to you---"

"It doesn't matter," she said. "You're alive, I don't care about the rest. You've said what you had to say and so have I, and I'm standing by it. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

"Even now, you're defending what you did?" A note of anger crept back into his voice, and Kuvira looked at him evenly.

"If you want to leave, the door's right there."

He didn't look away. "I don't want to leave."

 

* * *

 

"Mom! Dad!"

Korra broke into a giddy run, dragging Asami along with her. They crossed the dock in short order, the midmorning sun glistening off of the patches of ice scattered throughout. Korra leaped into a big family style hug, with Asami somehow stuck in the middle.

"We missed you so much," cooed Senna, stroking her daughter's hair.

"I missed you too, Mom. Sorry we couldn't visit sooner. It's just been so hectic and crazy recently..."

Tonraq raised a playful brow and looked down at her. "Has it now?"

Korra blushed and pouted. "Dad!"

Senna smacked him on the arm. "Tonraq! Asami's right there."

"It's fine, really." Asami looked between everyone and smiled. "Thank you so much for inviting me into your home."

Senna shook her head happily. "Oh, think nothing of it, sweetie. You're all but family now, after all."

Korra sputtered and blushed even harder. "MOM!" They had not had that conversation. She had no idea how to have that conversation. She didn't know what that conversation even was. It was one thing to tease her about their physical intimacy, but seriously mom? REALLY?!

Asami put her hand on her shoulder. "Korra, I don't think your mother meant it like that."

"The civil war, sweetheart," said Tonraq, looking a little too curious.

Korra chuckled anxiously and scratched the back of her head. Oh.  _Oh._ "That makes more sense---I mean sense! Not more sense, necessarily, but, uhm..." She bit her lip and looked everywhere at once. "Hey, here's an idea let's go home right now I'll call Naga and we can get there in no time flat great okay yup that's what we're doing!" she said in mild panic. Korra whistled and Naga came bounding off of the boat, their luggage bouncing in their straps attached to her saddle.

Asami blinked twice. "All right. I'll need to make some calls once we---" Her eyes drifted off toward the other end of the docks and slowly narrowed in frustration. "Or perhaps I'll have to deal with this directly."

Korra followed Asami's gaze and raised a brow. A large cargo ship with the Varrick Industries International logo was offloading quite a few large shipping crates in quick succession. "What's going on?"

"Tonraq, I don't mean to be rude, but did the Southern Water Tribe purchase any supplementary defense systems from Varrick Industries International?" asked Asami.

"We did, yes. The tribe needs as much coverage as possible, and Varrick's been selling the same model as Future Industries does. Just in larger quantities."

Asami's entire face twitched. "Please don't mistake my anger as being directed towards you. It's not. It's all for Varrick. Now, I'm very sorry, but I have to go figure out how the hell he's been selling those things without my knowledge."

Korra shrugged. "Hey, it's all right. Take care of what you have to. It'll give me some time to catch up with my parents. Do you want to take Naga with you?"

Asami perked up and turned nose to nose with Naga. "You know, I think I would." She smiled warmly and rubbed her ears. "How 'bout it, girl? Want to help me smoke out some silly people who think they can jeopardize the safety of the world for a few yuans?" she sing-songed.

Naga panted happily and hopped in a circle around Asami. Asami laughed and pulled herself up onto her saddle. "Guess that's that. I'll meet you at the palace as soon as I can," she said, tossing their luggage down to Korra. "Sorry!"

Senna waved her off. "It's fine, sweetie! Just do what you need to."

Asami whistled. "Go, Naga!" Naga took off into a sprint and sped away from them.

"I'm surprised that got Naga so excited," said Tonraq.

Korra shook her head sadly. "It didn't. She wants Asami to feel better just as much as I do."

 

* * *

 

Asami maneuvered Naga through the large crowd of dockworkers, bobbing and weaving between crates and narrowly dodging a window being carried by two men. Riding Naga was always a thrill, and a rare one at that. She didn't have as much control as she did in a satomobile, but Naga was more than just a mode of transportation. She trusted Naga, and the polar bear dog had always repaid that in full. And instead of control, she had power.

Intimidation.

A satomobile could roar, sure. But it couldn't eat you.

Asami grinned and snapped the reins, urging Naga faster and forward. She skidded around a corner and Naga pattered to a quick stop, her paws digging deeply into the snow. Asami rubbed the polar bear dog's ears and hummed. "What's wrong, girl?"

A large water tribe man, dressed in coveralls and a winter coat, came grumping out of one of the cargo ships, radio in hand. " _..._ doing the best I can here, sir! In case you forgot, Varrick Industries International  _isn't_ Varrick Global Industries! I can't just hire more workers on site like we used to!"

Asami gave Naga a kiss on the forehead. "Good girl." She cleared her throat. "HEY! YOU TALKIN' TO VARRICK?!"

"Hold on, got a crazy lady catdeer-calling me. WHAT'S IT TO YOU---AND WHY DO YOU HAVE A POLAR BEAR DOG?!" yelped the man.

Naga dropped low and growled, flashing her massive teeth in the brisk southern air.

"I think you just answered your own question," said Asami. "Now, if you'd be so kind, I'm wondering why Varrick is selling  _my_ defense system without my knowledge and obviously to substandard quality!"

"How the hell should I know!? I just work for the guy! Here, whatever, just take the radio!" He tossed the radio up to her and sprinted away. "I don't get paid enough to mess with polar bear dogs!"

Asami giggled and put her ear to the radio. "Varrick?"

" _Yeah? Wait, who's this? What happened to the other guy?! Did you mug him? I'll have you know I'm a close personal friend of the both the Avatar and the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe! So don't try anything funny with my stuff!"_

"It's Asami."

" _Oh! Hey, Asami. How ya doin'?"_

"Fine, thank you. Why are you selling---"

" _Woah, hey! You didn't even ask me how I was. Now, that's just rude."_

Asami bristled and leaned forward to scratch Naga's head. "Sorry. How are you, Varrick?"

" _Fantastic, thanks for asking! Mover's coming along great, and I've got a really good feeling about it! Anyway, mind telling me why you stole a radio from one of my people?"_

"Why are you selling defense pillars? And how?"

" _What do you mean why? People want them, and half of your manufacturing capability is tied up in military stuff for the United Republic! What am I supposed to do? Just sit on my hands and wait for everything to explode? 'Cause I thought we decided we weren't doing that."_

Asami furrowed her brow and looked out over the sea. "...and these are made correctly? You didn't cut any corners to make a profit?"

" _...really, Asami? Look, I may be a capitalist through and through, but I'm not gonna jeopardize my_ country  _just for some more yuans! I know its hard to forget sometimes, but I'm just as much Southern Water Tribe as Korra is. That's my home. I sold those things at a loss, Asami. Not much of one, but hey Tonraq said he needed more for the outlying villages, and most of my factories have been making random junk for the past seven months or something."_

"I'm still going to oversee their installation and inspect their components until I'm confident you're not lying to me."

" _Sure, fine, whatever. Do what you want. Just don't blame me if something blows up!"_

 

* * *

 

"You certainly haven't lost your touch, if it's any consolation," Kuvira said, sweeping her hair out of her face as she felt the sudden absence of Baatar's weight suspended over her. She rolled onto her back, letting her breathing steady before she sat up, suddenly aware of the beads of sweat running down her body.

Baatar put his glasses back on. "Don't try and flirt, Kuvira."

"I wasn't. I was simply stating a fact."

"An inherently salacious one."

"It's just conversation, Baatar."

Baatar pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning against the headboard. "We are completely insane."

Kuvira frowned and hugged the covers closer to her chest. "I'll admit, this was...unexpected. Unconventional, even. Perhaps a horrible idea, but not insane." She ran a hand through her hair self-consciously. "But then again, we've been apart for...who even knows how long." Her words sounded forced, but she kept talking to fill the silence. "Some things are just instinctual, I suppose."

"No. We're just insane. Stop trying to rationalize everything." His shoulders tensed. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come here, and I most certainly should not have done  _this._ "

"And yet here you are."

Baatar glared at her. "How can you be so passe about this? Don't you feel anything? Anything at all?"

Kuvira huffed. "Don't be so harsh. You know I'm not some cold, unfeeling machine." He didn't speak, and she sighed. "I thought it might be cathartic, I don't know. But everything does seem clearer to me now. A little."

"...because we had sex," he said flatly.

"The mind, body and spirit are interconnected. Throw one out of balance, and they are all affected."

"How much time have you been spending with the Avatar?"

Kuvira snorted. "That's not courtesy of her, I've been reading a lot. There isn't much to do when I'm stuck in this apartment."

"I can understand that. I don't have much to do when I'm not working, either."

Kuvira shifted her position, lying on her side and propping herself up on her elbow. "How is that going, if I might ask?"

"Very well, actually. It's good to be working with Artana again, and some of these designs..." He scratched his neck. "Let's just say that, for a woman who refuses to participate in weapons development, Asami is frighteningly good at it. She had twenty or so prototype designs ready to go the second I walked in the door."

"I don't doubt it. It just seems...odd that you'd take this job, though. I would have thought you'd want to go home to Zaofu."

Baatar shook his head slowly. "Mom is...I can't go home yet. I'm not ready, and neither is she."

Kuvira frowned. "So, it's just Suyin who won't let you return?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn't really matter. Like I said, I'm not ready either. And why do you care?"

"Because it's important to you."

"But not to you. You've made that very clear."

"We have different definitions of family." Kuvira stared off into space for a long moment, contemplating the best way to frame her argument before she stopped herself. It was not a battle; Baatar was not one to be manipulated. Especially not if she wanted a second chance. "You know, if I was in your place, if they'd captured me, I would have  _begged_ you to fire."

Baatar's posture straightened. "I wouldn't have done it."

"Perhaps not, but I'd have still tried everything I could think of to convince you otherwise. Any military strategist would consider it a necessary sacrifice. The needs of the many outway the needs of the few."

Baatar scowled. "You can't just---the  _few?_ Do you even know who that is? The few are the ones who love you. Your friends and family. The people that will stand beside you, no matter what." He pinched his brow. "Let me make something very clear to you. You. Are not. Your People."

Kuvira bristled. "How  _dare---"_

"You are not the Earth Empire! You're a woman and a leader! You're the woman I  _proposed_  to! You are not the  _many_ as much as you desperately want to be, Kuvira! No one single person is, by definition! You're part of the few, just like everyone else. And you were part of mine."

Kuvira closed her mouth and looked down at the bed. That was new. That was unexpected. It...wasn't entirely inaccurate. She rested her hands in her lap. "I never considered it from that perspective. I suppose there's some truth to that."

"Well, you should think about it," he said tersely, leaving the bed and quickly redressing. "I should be going," he said, giving her hand a quick squeeze before he crossed the room to the door, opening it and standing under the frame.

Kuvira nodded. "Will I see you again?" she asked, her voice only wavering a little. She hoped he hadn't noticed.

Baatar sighed. "You will. Even if I swore to never visit again, I think I'd  _still_  come back. It seems inevitable, with you."

She smiled as she looked at him, his hand on the door. "It is, isn't it?"

 

* * *

 

"Korra?"

Korra looked up from the polar leopard she was skinning and looked at her father, who was doing the same with his own. They'd managed to snag two big ones, most likely the alphas of the pack, in very little time at all. It was a little disappointing. "Hm?"

"We've had this conversation before about waterskins many, many times."

"I know, dad."

"Well, then I think you'll understand if I'm curious as to why you're so willing to make one now."

"A lot of reasons," Korra went back to work on her polar leopard, her old muscle memory flowing back into place. "I've always thought of that old tradition, even if it's...y'know, sorta not practiced anymore as really romantic. And not really something you can do on your own."

Tonraq smiled a little. "You want to share that with Asami."

"Yeah. I really do, dad."

"Sweetheart, that's wonderful. I'm sure she'll love it."

"Mmm." Korra twisted her knife and sat back on her knees. It wouldn't change anything, though. Those words would still be hanging over their heads, slowly eating away at them like an elbow leech. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

Tonraq looked up and wiped the blood off his knife. "What is it?"

"How did you get to know mom spiritually?"

Tonraq hummed and stroke his beard. "Well, first I knew her emotionally, then physically---"

"Dad!"

"Korra, if you're asking for relationship advice from your parents you can't expect us to tone it down. We're both adults."

Korra pouted. "Fine. So it's a sequence, then?"

"I'm sure many see it that way, but it's different for everyone. The strongest bonds in the Water Tribes are the passionate ones. Physically, emotionally and spiritually. You need to have all three or things go out of... _balance._ "

Korra rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Right. We have the first two. No question."

Tonraq laughed. "I'm pretty sure the entire world knows that. I bought a mover projector just so I could watch it whenever I wanted to."

"Dad, come on! This is important!"

"All right, all right. Spirituality. It's not as complicated as it sounds. Knowing someone spiritually means that you understand the very essence of who they are. The part of them that cannot be altered, no matter what. Their inner spirit."

Korra furrowed her brow. "Her inner spirit…"

" _At some point in her life, Asami decided that no matter how much pain and suffering she has to endure, no matter how many people she loses, and no matter how much is taken from her, her life is worth living. Because, in the end, she truly believes that everything will work out for the best. That if she waits, and listens for the right moment, she will find true happiness."_

" _You...you said I took everything back, and more. For me, when I pick myself up out of the mud, it's the confidence that I will take it all back that keeps me going, but that...'something more' is by far the most important part of that process. I guess what I'm trying to say is, after this week, and the both of us just...dancing around it, because it's something but we don't quite know what...I know what this is to me. Us. This time, I want you to be that 'something more'."_

" _Let's just start the day, okay? We won't know if everything is terrible until it actually becomes terrible."_

" _If it helped you, then that's enough for me."_

" _Just because I'm enraged beyond words doesn't mean I'm not going to pick you up when you fall."_

" _If somebody has to get their hands dirty, it may as well be me. At least I can do it correctly."_

_"I just wanted to hear your voice. I had a really long day."_

_"IF YOU DON'T LEAVE RIGHT NOW KORRA, I SWEAR, I WILL---"_

Korra winced and focused as hard as she could on her snow leopard. Push out everything else. There was only the snow leopard. Only the snow leopard. She wiped her burning eyes and nodded softly. "Thanks, Dad. I think I know what I have to do."

 

* * *

 

Asami looked up in awe at Southern Water Tribe palace. If she didn't know any better, she'd think it was made entirely of ice. It glowed a beautiful blue as the light from the full moon reflected off of the shiny exterior.

She and Naga trudged through the snow and up the outer steps, which the polar bear dog seemed very comfortable doing, so Asami assumed it was okay. The guards didn't seem to mind either. She gave them a friendly wave, which they returned, and hopped off of Naga.

Asami scratched the polar bear dog's cheeks and bopped their noses together. "Thanks for the help, Naga. It would have taken me forever to get from site to site if not for you. And it wouldn't have been nearly as fun."

Naga licked her face, spreading a big glob of spit everywhere and Asami giggled. She could always get Tonraq or Korra to wash it off. Or Senna? Maybe? Was she even a bender? Well, it didn't matter. A shower would have the same effect, too.

Naga walked around in a circle and laid flat on the ground in the large foyer, facing the large front door. It was adorable how protective she was of her master-companion. Korra had corrected her on that many, many times.

Asami blinked and realized she had no idea how to get anywhere. "Uh, excuse me, but do you happen to know where Korra is in here?" she asked one of the palace guards.

"Avatar Korra and Chief Tonraq are currently out at the moment, but his wife Senna is being very...generous and preparing a meal that probably won't be nearly as good as the one that---" The other guard elbowed him in the stomach. "What? I'm the chef! It's my job to cook!"

Asami slowly backed away. "Right. Where's the kitchen."

The other guard, the one who wasn't super annoyed by his change in occupation, pointed down a large hallway. "Fifth door on your right. You should be able to smell it before you see it. Have a good evening."

"You too!"

Asami walked down the hallway, passing ice sculptures, painted murals and a very silly looking bust of Sokka. She snickered as she moved past it, enjoying the snarky grin he was making. She walked into the kitchen and found that Senna had...already prepared a  _massive_ meal.

Arctic hen, tiger seal, dumplings of every variety, and even a few vegetables hidden throughout. Her mouth was watering just by looking at it.

"Senna, this looks wonderful. I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner, or I would have helped."

She smiled. "Oh, that's all right, sweetie. I haven't cooked by myself in a very long time, so I honestly preferred it. How did everything go with work?"

Asami walked further into the kitchen and fought the urge to shove an entire arctic hen in her mouth. Senna may have  _looked_ like Korra, a lot, but that didn't mean she'd find those temporary habits adorable. "Well enough. Varrick's products are exactly the same as the Future Industries model, down to the last bolt. I had to deal with a few nosy and indignant managers, but Naga was more than happy to help with that."

"...you didn't stick anyone's head in her mouth, did you?"

"No, that---I don't want to get sued, or arrested. I was seriously thinking about it a few times, though…"

Senna sighed happily. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear that."

Asami blinked, confused. "I'm sorry? What do you mean?"

"You'd never have gotten that idea on your own. Korra had to have suggested it at some point. And that means...she's okay. We were so worried that she'd slip back into that place again but…"

Asami wrapped Senna in a tight hug, purely on instinct. It occurred to her that she didn't really possess the familiarity to be so---oh, it didn't matter. It was right. It felt right. So it was right. "That won't happen. I promise."

Senna hugged her back. "Thank you." She smiled kindly. "I always knew she'd get better; that she'd be happy again. But never this quickly. I can't express how grateful I am for your help."

Asami raised a brow. "You're welcome, but I'm not sure what I did."

"Well, you managed to do what Tonraq and I never could. You got through to her. There came a point where she just stopped. She'd hit a wall, and couldn't move past it. But, one day, something changed."

Asami felt something beginning to click in her head and continued listening.

"Tonraq and I didn't know what it was at first, we were just happy our little girl was smiling again, but after he sent word that she'd vanished, I went through her things, trying to find some clue as to where she'd run off to. And I found the last letter you sent her. The ink had run a little, near the bottom. After that, we weren't so worried."

Asami snickered into a full laugh. "I'm sorry! Really, that's---I had no idea that  _that_ was why she left home. It's just that I was trying to make her laugh, and…" Suddenly, she found herself wiping away brewing tears. Both of joy and past sorrows. "You need to hear the full stories behind the post scripts. They're so funny. Please tell me you still have the letter."

Senna chuckled and nodded. "Of course! It's in the back of her Korra's closet with the rest of the letters. It should be the one on top."

"...and her room is...where, exactly?"

Senna pointed back toward the foyer. "Go up the main stairs to the fifth floor and keep left. It'll be the fourth door on your right."

"Thank you!"

Asami jogged back down the corridor, passing Naga, and up five flights of stairs. She slowed to a leisurely walk as she caught her breath from  _running up five floors._ She really should have paced herself. Sure enough, the fourth door on her right...down the left path was a bedroom. Judging by the multiple Nuktuk posters, newspaper clippings of the  _Future Industries Fire Ferrets,_ and a few old pictures of herself, it was Korra's room.

Well, that, and their luggage was on the bed.

Asami shrugged and proceeded to unpack it, since it wouldn't take very long and honestly it'd be bugging her all through dinner after she saw it. Her clothes on the left side of the dresser drawers, Korra's on the right. Everything else was neatly organized...under the bed. In the suitcase.

Asami turned around and opened the closet---

Her blood ran cold.

Asami stared, paralyzed, and that wheelchair stared right back.

Asami stumbled backward. She sat awkwardly at the edge of the bed and forced her eyes open, grabbing on to the sheets as if her life depended on it. Her arms were weak, she couldn't stand, and her stomach lurched and threatened to rebel. She couldn't stop shivering and tears fell down her cheeks.

_"I'm still here. I'm not going to leave. I'm not going to die right after you let me in, okay? I'm not going anywhere. Not now, not ever."_

"...why didn't you leave, Korra?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "Why didn't you leave?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...yeah. So, did that ending work? I'm really not sure. I mean, I think it does, but...you can never know for sure. So, yes, we'll be addressing ~that~ next. Was gonna be this chapter, but lots of stuff needed to happen beforehand. It's gonna be beautiful, just you wait.
> 
> Random Notes:
> 
> Lots of callbacks in this chapter! Can you figure out where each one is from?
> 
> Asami's new suit-thing was originally going to include what was basically Shingeki no Kyojin's 3DMG. Which I accidentally had her make because it was the next logical step in non-bender armaments. But, I decided that was too much, and went with the airburst suit. 
> 
> Platinum being resistant to spirit energy is actually not something I directly thought up. No, that would be Sy_itha, co-writer of "The Blacksmith's Favor" and "Conflict Resolution" (which I wrote a prequel of!). Thanks Sy! Makes way more sense!
> 
> I love that Tonraq made a dad joke. I didn't know I needed that until I wrote it.
> 
> Baatar and Kuvira's two scenes here are meant to directly mirror the very heated fight that Korra and Asami had in Chapter 7. However, Baatar and Kuvira took the "Angry Sex" route. Which says a lot about Asami's mental state.
> 
> I'm actually pretty proud of myself for having Baatar deconstruct Spock's famous line from "Wrath of Khan" and tossing it right back in Kuvira's face. I dunno, I just love that. 
> 
> RRaU is now officially over 100k, and an Ao3 Exclusive! WOO!
> 
> Anyway, lots of news!
> 
> RRaU has it's own tropes page! Some badass just decided to make one, and here it is! Check it out!  
> http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/RepairsRetrofitsAndUpgrades It's 100% accurate! :D
> 
> Also, an updated and more detailed post regarding the Satohawk: http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/116645205901/note-not-production-model-merely-a
> 
> And last, but most certainly not least, as you may have noticed, Traeger has actually written a parody of RRaU, and Spin the Rails as a whole! Everybody go read it because it is hilarious and I almost fell out of my chair! Here's a link, just in case: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3747997
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. No matter how small, scathing, random or rambling your thoughts may be, I wanna hear 'em.


	17. The Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami can feel that it's not the end. But, that doesn't mean that she can't see it from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited by thejmpr

_9 Months, Two Weeks after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Early Summer, 175 A.G._

 

Asami leaned out over the palace balcony in the freezing cold; unmoved by the strong cross winds that blew through her hair every so often. The night sky was clear and the spirits somberly danced through the southern lights. She wiped her puffy red eyes with her gloves and stared off into flickering lights of the city.

She heard Korra approach, the sound of her boots walking across the smooth floor unmistakeable. She stole a glance at her and immediately regretted it. There she was, concerned, hurt and determined to do...something with that new waterskin of hers, which was odd for a number of reasons.

"Hey," whispered Asami, looking back over the tribe.

Korra leaned on the railing beside her. "Hey."

Asami bit her lip, stopping herself from launching in too soon. Maybe it was a bad idea. Maybe they could just wait until she truly was ready, instead of being forced into...that. But, one more look at Korra told her that if they didn't work through it, and work through it  _now,_ it would only hurt them more.

"I forgot how beautiful the Southern Lights were," said Asami. She rubbed her hands together. "Its calming. I don't know if its the colors, or another kind of...sympathetic spiritual energy, but its peaceful. Almost like I was drawn to it.

Korra stole a glance at Asami. "I used to do the same thing when I couldn't sleep." She looked up at the lights. "Sit here and try to figure everything out; because I got it in my head that the spirits would know what to do."

"But they didn't. Wasted effort."

"I wouldn't call it wasted effort. I still tried. I never gave up. Sometimes, that's all we can do. Just keep moving forward."

Asami huffed. "And sometimes we can't even do that. We just keep moving further and further away from where we should be until we're so lost that there's no way back."

"There's always a way back," she said without hesitation.

"Korra, you---"

"There is  _always_ a way back. Might take a while, but there's always a way."

Asami slouched further over the balcony with a sigh. "Yeah. Maybe."

Korra extended her hand. "Come on. Let's go for a walk."

Asami glanced down at her hand sidelong, frowning. "I'm not running away from this, Korra. Not again."

"We're not running, I promise. I want to show you something."

 

* * *

 

Asami didn't understand. It was just a cliff side overlooking a barren expanse of snow that seemed to go on forever. There was nothing special, noteworthy or significant about it. It was just a cliff and a clearing. And lots of snow.

It was a relatively short walk from the palace, and it struck Asami as odd that they didn't just take Naga. But then, perhaps that was for the best. Naga would be...distracting. Too therapeutic and calming for what...might come to pass.

Korra loosened the strap on her waterskin and slipped out of it. "Took me a year and a half to run again, you know." She wrapped the belt around furred bladder very meticulously with an intense look in her eyes, until it was 'just so'.

Asami nodded solemnly and stared out over the cliff.

"Problem was, if I left the palace, people would just stare. And I hated that. Hated a lot of things while I was trapped here, but for that year and a half it was just...festering. I didn't have a way to let it out." She handed the waterskin to Asami. "Can you hold this for me?"

"Sure." Asami perked up and took the skin, inspecting it a little more closely. Nope. Nothing special about it. Just a hollow striped fur with a strap.

"Thanks." Korra closed her eyes and her...breathing changed. It was more cyclical. More controlled. Hotter. "So, first day I can run, I sprint. I run as far as I can before my legs start to hurt, and I end up right here." She pointed to the ground. "I'm exhausted, physically, but I can still feel all of this rage, hatred and pain swirling around in my stomach. What do you think I did, then?" she asked, turning toward her.

Asami blinked, remembering. "...you firebent," she said softly.

"Yeah. " Korra waved her arms close to her, rotating her forearms in a small circle near her chest. She pushed forward and fire flowed out of her hands in perfect time with her breath, the calm red flames reaching out over the cliff. "Not like that, though. Sloppier. Angrier. Painful."

Korra's eyes grew dark and her breathing changed again. It was forceful, then. Almost erratic. She threw her entire body into a series of punches and enormous plumes of fire out of her fists, illuminating the cliffside.

Asami's eyes widened a little. The disparity between the two instances was...disconcerting. One was almost beautiful, while the other was more like a house fire. Which she was, unfortunately, a bit of an expert on. "Where are you going with this? I thought we were going to talk."

Korra frowned and her shoulders tightened. "We are, and we will. I'm trying to make a point. Show you how I'm feeling, because words are  _really_ escaping me right now, okay?" she said, with more than a twinge of hostility. She raised her palm. "Now, stand back a little.".

Asami did so without question, holding the waterskin a little tighter. There was...what was the point? Passion, rage and---oh. It took quite a bit of willpower not to just look away.

Korra knelt, brought her fists together on an angle, and violently thrusted them forward. Massive stream after stream of screeching flames erupted out of her fists, lighting up the night sky as bright as day. She roared and stained the clouds red as fire spewed out of her mouth. " _That_ is how you made me feel," she seethed, glaring out over the cliff. In a few moments, her breathing returned to normal and her eyes did as well. No hatred; no darkness. "It's hard to put into words, and I'm not always the best at that. Pain's a source, too, so I thought, maybe..."

Asami swallowed and took a few steps closer. "I didn't..." Her eyes wavered. Pain as fuel? Hurting her far more than being crippled did---why was she even there? Still? After all of that, it was complete insanity. "I knew I hurt you, but this---" She scowled dug her boots into the snow. "I don't get it! I don't understand, okay?! I don't understand you!"

Asami bristled largely and puffed air out of her nose. "I threaten to  _poison you_ , because I was a stubborn idiot who couldn't understand that my own father was truly gone, and you just stand there, cry for a few seconds, and then start spewing terrifyingly accurate words of compassion like all I did was..." She violently whipped the waterskin back at her. "Throw a telephone at you!"

Korra looked at her incredulously, flipping between Asami and the waterskin multiple times. "How else was I supposed to react? And why are  _you_  angry?"

"Angry? I'm livid! I'm livid because I was too much of an idiot to keep my damn mouth shut!" She raked her hands through her hair. "I'm livid because I hate myself!"

"What? Why do---"

"Because I ruined us!" she yelled, the words hurting her all the more as soon as they left her mouth and froze in the frigid air. Never voiced it. Never internalized it. It was just something she knew. "I ruined what we had, or could have had---I waited _three years_ and I couldn't even last three _months_ before I tainted it, us, and I don't think I can forgive myself---"

Korra pulled her into a desperately tight hug. Asami hugged her back, but couldn't find any peace in it. None of the warmth and serenity she normally experienced. Just...it was an empty hug, and the hollowness of it made her wince internally.

"You didn't ruin us," Korra said with complete confidence, as if it were an unchanging fact of life. "Please get that thought out of your head, okay? That's not what I wanted when we came down here. I know we're in a weird place right now..." She stroked her hair with one hand and rubbed her back with the other. "...but we're going to get through it."

"You can't know that," she said tentatively.

"I don't care. We will because we want to."

"It's not even a weird place. I hurt you once like this, which means I'm capable of doing it happen again. I just..." She choked back a sob. "Why didn't you leave. Why didn't you leave me?" she blurted, her puffy eyes brewing with tears. "Why didn't you turn around and walk out the door?"

Korra shook her head and held her tighter. "I could never do that."

"But you should have. Any sensible person would have."

"Then I guess I'm not very sensible. Asami, I don't leave people like that. I don't walk away. That's..." She grunted. "It's not---that was never an option. I've never considered it. Never even toyed with the idea. It's just not me. I don't do that. Never have, never will."

Asami scrunched her eyes shut and lost what little of her self restraint she had left, finally allowing herself to cry. She sobbed softly and bit her lip, forcing her mind as clear of clutter as she could. "What if I hurt you like that again? What then?"

"You won't."

"But---"

"You won't," she said firmly, with no room for debate. "And I can prove it. It's why we're out here in the first place."

"Really?"

"Mhmm."

Asami wiped her eyes dry and pulled back. "Okay. How?" she asked, her voice soft and a little drained.

"We have to put out the fire." Korra gently handed her the waterskin. "Heal the wound. Wash the pain away."

Asami stared down at it. "I'm not a healer, Korra."

"You don't need to be." She took Asami's hand and pressed it against her own breast, right above her heart. "It just has to be you to fix this."

Asami focused on the calm rhythm of Korra's heartbeat and became very much aware of the gears spinning faster and faster in the back of her head. She could fix anything. This was a problem, thus she had to fix it. Retrofit it into something new. Something stronger and better than it was before. But without changing too much. A complete upgrade would defeat the point entirely, and on the opposite side of the spectrum, repairing it would be a temporary fix at best.

"All right," said Asami. Her breath evened out back to normal levels and she reclaimed her hand. "Where do I get started?"

Korra smiled, but only a little. "Right here," she said, pointing to the snow on the ground.

Asami raised a brow. "...you want me to build a snow house? Because I don't know how to do that."

"Uh, no. We're going to fill that waterskin, and we're going to do it right." She knelt down on one knee and brushed her hand through the snow. "Add some of the snow around us to it."

Asami nodded and quickly started scooping up snow with the open neck of the skin. Korra grabbed her hand once it was about a fourth of the way full.

"Don't fill it. We have to balance it with positive and negative snow."

Asami couldn't help but snicker.

"Oh, okay that does sort of sound silly out loud, but trust me, this is how it's done! Sort of." She rubbed the back of her neck. "It's how it used to be done, but not by everybody. It's this really old tradition Katara taught me when I was a kid. And she heard about it from her grandmother."

Asami corked the waterskin and rose back to her feet. "Is this why you always cut the conversation short when I try to bring up waterskins?"

"Yeah. I just...I don't know, it's not really a thing people do anymore, but I always loved the idea of it. It's really romantic and intimate, and I didn't want to bring it up until I was sure that...well, that you'd want to do it with me."

Asami pulled Korra up to her feet. "Do what? I'd appreciate a little clarity on this."

Korra chuckled awkwardly. "Ah! Right, yeah, that would help." She cleared her throat. "Well, as I understand it, the idea is to keep a little piece of home with you, wherever you go. Centuries ago, when the Water Tribes were first starting to really have more consistent contact with the other nations, a lot of us traveled from town to town along the north and south coastlines of the mainlands. Most of them were waterbenders, so naturally they carried waterskins."

Korra smoothly bent a ring of water into the air, melted from the snow, and kept it spinning. "Problem was, they'd be gone for months, and oftentimes years at a time. Away from their tribesmen and family. So, somebody got it in their head to...make water more important." She waterbent another ring around the same point, at an angle so that they never touched.

"You attach memories to it. Scents, sounds, people, emotions. Everything. You go from place to place until it's full of positive and negative. Positive for the good times. Laughter, triumph, family, love..." Korra bent a third and fourth water ring in the same manner as before. "Negative for the bad times. Pain of loss, betrayal, darkness, anger, to name a few. You have to balance them, because otherwise you're not truly waterbending. At least, not traditionally."

Asami raised her brows. Click. And then, everything made sense. "Positive and negative jing. Attacking and retreating. Redirection; the most basic principles in waterbending. And, in this case, the push and pull of the tides and moon, are symbolic of your own drive to succeed, and your desire to return home. Keeping them balanced keeps you safe."

Korra gaped and the water she was bending splattered onto the ground. "Yeah! Yes, that's exactly it! And, y'know, during the Hundred Year War, people did the same thing, because most of them would never make it back home, so in a way, by taking the water with them..." She blushed and rubbed her neck. "They never left at all."

"Korra. That's beautiful."

"You really think so?"

Asami smiled sadly and slung the waterskin over her shoulder. "I do. I'd love to do this with you."

"Well, actually, you're the one doing it. I'm just directing you toward the right patches of snow."

Asami sighed. "And this will...how did you put it? Wash the pain away?"

"It will." Korra squeezed her shoulder. "For the both of us."

 

* * *

 

 

Asami shivered. She remembered this cliff. The  _other_ cliff. It was the first time she'd physically been there, but she'd seen the entire ordeal in the Tree of Time, all those...months ago? Nearly a year, actually. Huh.

Korra peered out over the edge, staring off into nothing. "I don't regret considering it, you know. Used to wonder if things might've been better if I'd done it. If I hadn't backed away and just jumped." She shook her head. "Bringing the Air Nation back made everything worth it, though. I wouldn't trade that for anything."

"Yeah..." Asami frowned and scooped up some of the snow. "It's really messed up that I actually find you ending your own life, in that context, as a noble and selfless act."

Korra shrugged. "I wouldn't have been the first Avatar to do it. There was one a few thousand years ago who was permanently paralyzed after a really nasty fight, if Raava's memory serves."

"She remembers them?"

"Bits and pieces here and there. It's not a connection. Just her own memories." She sighed, putting her hands in her pockets. "She lost a lot of friends. We both did."

Asami corked the waterskin and walked up beside Korra, looking her over with concern. "You never talk about this."

"It's always gonna be hard to talk about. But it's easier here, I think. That, and I'm talking to you, which is always more manageable than, say Tenzin. 'Cause, y'know, my uncle destroyed his dad's spirit."

Asami folded her hands in front of her. "Did you ever talk to him about that?"

"No. There's no point. His father was dead long before all of this."

"Ah."

Korra crooked her lips to the side. "I don't mean to sound like I don't care, but we both know how that conversation would go. I'd apologize, he'd tell me it's not my fault, and it's sort of...not, so it's just not worth getting into, you know?"

Asami slowly nodded. She took Korra's hand and pulled her away from the edge of the cliff. Not that she thought she'd jump, but...why risk anything? "So. Is this a good patch of snow, or a bad one?"

"Overall?" Korra smiled nostalgically. "Good."

 

* * *

 

"Are you sure it's okay to just dunk it in?" asked Asami, looking down over Katara's glowing healing pool with quite a bit of hesitation. Surely the world's greatest healer used specifically treated water at a perfect temperature. Or something.

Korra sat down beside her. "Yeah, it's fine. Just don't fill it up."

Asami dunked the waterskin into the pool for a few seconds, allowing the air to bubble out of the pouch and replace itself with water. She pulled it out, corked it, and slung it over her shoulder. "I wonder how many people she's helped using this water..."

"Well, she recycles it several times a day, because that's a health hazard, so maybe...five, six people on a typical day? She gets more hands on for the small stuff, though."

Asami rolled her eyes. "I meant the pool in general."

"Oh! At this point, around a hundred thousand."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Used to sit in there for...I don't even know how long. Half a day, at least. I looked like a sea prune by the time I was able to pull myself out after a session." Korra rested her chin on her hands. "Katara always wanted me to rest while she worked. Just rest my eyes. But I couldn't do that. Legs still weren't working, so...I couldn't get the thought out of my head that I could actually drown. If I dozed off or lost focus for even a moment..." She shivered. "Have you ever heard of waterbender drowning? It's crazy."

"Varrick's mother."

"What?"

"That's how she died. She was a waterbender, and she drowned." Asami rubbed her eyes. "We...actually have a lot more in common than I'm comfortable with. Or, well, used to be comfortable with. He's okay. He is now, at least."

"I guess you sorta do, huh." Korra hugged herself and her eyes sunk into her head. "That is absolutely terrifying. So, yeah, I developed a pretty intense fear of drowning. Now you know."

Asami rubbed Korra's back. "But you're still okay with swimming."

"Not if I'm not bending. I can't...just swim anymore. Gives me a panic attack, most of the time."

Asami shook her head, confused. "We take baths together."

Korra gave her a sad smile. "We do. And I'm always bending."

The door to the healing pool slid open, revealing a very amused looking Katara in what Asami assumed were dark blue pajamas of some sort. It was hard to tell with Water Tribe clothing. Everything just looked so similar.

"Oh! Hey, Master Katara!" fumbled Korra. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you, but, uh, we're sort of doing the important water skin thing and needed to use the water here. Sorry."

Katara looked between the two of them, her blue eyes still full of humor, and laughed. "You two are the last people I expected to come across sneaking into this room in the middle of the night." She looked up at the open window, which they'd used as a 'door'. "But I'm glad I did," she said, smiling. "It's good to see you're doing well, Korra. You too, Asami."

Korra smiled and ran up to hug her, resting her head over her mentor's shoulder. Asami watched for a few moments, noting the change in Korra's posture and the fluidity of her physicality. She'd been stiffened by been blocks of ice frozen around her, and they'd just melted in a manner of seconds. All of that weight and relative cold detachment had vanished.

But, she'd read about that, hadn't she? Probably something about chakras. Still, it hurt quite a bit to see Korra so much more relaxed in Katara's presence than in her own. Which made sense, she supposed. She'd told her that Asami, or rather a moment they shared, had become a source of pain for her.

All the more reason to fix that.

"Asami?"

Asami snapped back into focus and looked up at Korra. Apparently she'd zoned out and missed an entire conversation between those two. Well, she was sure to hear about it later. "Hm?"

"You ready to head out?"

"Yeah."

 

* * *

 

 

Asami furrowed her brow as she spotted her own bootprints in the snow heading in both directions. "First cliff?" she asked, as it came into view. It was darker, then. The full moon was obscured by clouds, and the division between inky blackness of the cliff side and the valley below was difficult to discern. They just sort of bled into one another.

Korra nodded as her boots crunched through her old footprints, a few paces in front of her. "Yeah. We've got two negative, and one positive. Just need one more good patch of snow."

"But this is where we started. Won't it just be bad?"

Korra looked over her shoulder with a tiny smirk. "That's the beauty of water, Asami. Flow's always changing."

Asami looked down at the waterskin and felt her heart beat a little faster. She flexed her fingers and chewed on her lip. How was she going to make it good? It wasn't a simple, easy fix. She didn't have...well, not a bad feeling about it, but she was worried. Anxious. Scared, for some reason. But, she had to press on. Fix the problem. Right what she made wrong.

"Here, let me see the waterskin," said Korra, reaching out with her hand as they arrived once more at the cliffside. Asami gave it to her, and Korra very carefully waterbent the snow around her into water, filling what was left of the skin.

Korra considered it curiously and then, out of nowhere, shook it wildly. "Gotta mix it." She flipped it over on its side and locked eyes with her for a long moment. Korra tenderly handed her the water skin, placing Asami's hand over the top with her own.

Asami wrinkled her nose and inspected it closely. There was nothing new or different about it. It was just full. "I don't understand. I thought we were doing this for you. How am I supposed to fix this if it was for me?"

"It was for me, but I'm giving it to you."

"But I can't use it---"

"You don't have to. It's not about practicality. That's  _me,_ Asami." She rested her hands on her shoulders, meeting her gaze. "That's all of me. That's all of my pain, suffering, loss, happiness, joy, compassion, and strength. It's my home. My heritage. My history. Water is life just as much as fire is. But it's easier to direct a river than it is to control an inferno." She carefully adjusted the waterskin's strap over Asami's shoulder. "So, you've got me, on every level now. Emotionally, physically and spiritually. You know who I am. You know where I've been, and you've got a pretty good idea on where I want to go."

Asami nodded slowly, her mind racing into thousands upon thousands of scenarios and explanations. Where was all of it coming from? It didn't sound esoteric, not with how confident and soothing she was speaking, but then...why... "I don't think I know you spiritually."

"See, that's what I thought, but as it turns out it's not really as spirity as other spirit stuff. More like..." She tapped her chin. "...what's me. What can't be changed. What will always be a part of me, no matter what happens."

Asami was a little surprised that she  _did_ actually know all of that. And then she kicked herself internally for the fact that she was  _surprised_ that she knew Korra on that deep of a level. Of course she did! How could she not? "I'm sorry, but this...how is this helping us move forward? We've been walking around for hours, collecting snow to fulfill some old romantic tradition and, now we're back where we started. The only thing that's changed is..."

Korra gave her a crooked grin. "...go on." 

Asami blinked and her lips stayed parted. The entire evening. The tradition, the water, the deep vulnerability that just sort of kept happening...all pieces of one big,  
beautiful puzzle. "You showed me. You  _showed_ me all of you, and I'm still here, holding another part of you..." She was crying again, but not out of sorrow. Relief. "And I haven't hurt you. I could have dropped this. I could have dismissed it entirely. I could have messed up the whole thing. But I---I didn't. I couldn't." She sobbed and held the waterskin close to her chest. "I could never hurt you."

Korra smiled and embraced her tightly, her own tears streaming down her cheeks and staining Asami's coat. "Same way I could never leave you. That day in your office, I wasn't sure why that was. Took me a while to sort it out, but I know why I didn't leave then, and why I can't leave at all." Korra pulled back and wiped her eyes, still smiling. "It's because I  _know_ who you are. Right down to your inner spirit." She poked Asami's heart. "And her, the essence of who you are, I trust her more than anyone. Somehow, I care about her, about you, more than the spirit who  _lives inside of me_ and I didn't even think that was possible but here we are," she said, her voice shaking. "You know that old saying? How you'd move mountains for someone? I can actually do that, and I would if you needed me to."

"...Korra..."

"I'd fight a hurricane and win. I'd  _be_ the hurricane and beat something else up, I don't know! Everything is crazy right now! The Red Lotus is back, you're making weapons, the whole  _world_ knows we're together, we got stuck in the swamp, Raiko's being a bigger jerk than usual..."

"Korra..."

"Bolin and Opal are gonna get engaged any day now, we've got a crazy wannabe-Avatar sandbender on the loose, Varrick's doing things, Jingdao just keeps getting bigger..."

"Korra."

"...and the only constant in my life is---"

Asami cupped her cheek and wiped her eyes. "I love you."

Korra grinned, wide as can be, and brought their lips together passionately. She pulled back and bopped their foreheads together. "I love you, too," she whispered. "...and I was  _building to that._ "

Asami laughed so hard she cried again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That right there is something I commissioned from @willoghby on tumblr! It's perfect, capturing the moment better than I ever could have hoped. Though that is blatantly obvious. She's incredibly talented (also obvious) and just a genuinely awesome person. Be sure to check out her art and just try and not to grin like a big stupid idiot. :)
> 
> I thought of that tradition with the waterskin like six years ago, and it never left my mind. Cannot believe I got to use it. This chapter was so freaking hard to write, and I really hope it made sense and gave a proper resolution to Chapter 9, as well as showing their growth in a way that wasn't...hokey, or cliche. Please let me know your thoughts on that. I wanted this to be a chapter with ONLY Korra and Asami, but Katara showed up because it'd be weird if they snuck in through the window and she didn't get a cameo. I've seen a lot of headcanons about how they both say "I love you", but they're often over romanticized. To me, I thought it was more genuine if Korra tries to make something like that happen, only for Asami to ground her a little by beating her to the punch. It's also just adorable.
> 
> Shigan, yes, I did reference "Bedrolls." You should all read that. I don't read many post-series fics, since they often make my head hurt for a lot of reasons ('cause I'm writing one), but every so often there's one that's so great that it doesn't even matter. "Bedrolls" is one of them. Really, anything by Shigan. So go read her stuff. Oh, and another reference to "Icarus and the Sea" in here! Varrick's mother going batshit crazy and drowning, despite being a waterbender. I figure Asami talked to him about his family after she found out "Nuktuk" was his father's name, and she got to know him a lot better. 
> 
> Did anyone catch that Korra purposely created a situation that Asami could frame as 'problem' that she could 'fix'? Since she knows her so damn well and understands that the best way for her to work through something is to treat it like it already has a preordained solution? Y'know, like an engineer. That wasn't luck on Korra's part, this time. That was just her being smart.
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. No matter how small, scathing, random or rambling your thoughts may be, I wanna hear 'em.


	18. Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is everywhere, if you know where to look. So is purple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Ten Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Summer, 175 A.G._

 

Tenzin looked out of his office window. There was Artana, meditating, again. Under the same tree. Again. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the mountains of paperwork he'd been stuck with. International clandestine operations, even if they were strictly charitable and benign in nature, needed the proper documentation. Ironically, when the Earth Kingdom was still a broken kingdom instead of a struggling empire, dispatching airbenders was as simple as telling them where to go and how quickly.

It didn't help matters that the Air Nation was that in name only, but that would change in time.

"Tenzin, if you're so curious, why not go over and talk to her?" whispered Pema. "It might just make her day."

"Deep, introspective meditation is a very personal spiritual practice. It's not something that I can just interrupt because I happen to be curious. Artana has sat there outside, right under that tree, every three days for months on end, for exactly one hour." He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "...maybe I should ask Jinora to check if she's in the Spirit World."

"Sweetie, this is clearly bothering you. You just went from respecting boundaries to crazy eavesdropping in one sentence. Though I gotta admit, it is kind of odd that she does this so much, considering her profession. Are you sure she's not sleeping?"

Tenzin raised a brow. "I suppose it's possible..." He stroked his beard.

Pema rubbed his arm. "Maybe you should just let this one go, okay? You've got lots of important things to do, and the patterns of  _one_ of our many live-ins is hardly a priority."

"That doesn't mean that---"

The telephone rang, cutting him off. He shrugged and answered it.

"Air Temple Island. Tenzin speaking."

" _Hi Tenzin!"_

"Korra." His face lit up. "It's wonderful to hear from you. How is everything going in the south pole?"

* * *

Korra smiled as she watched Asami, appearing much brighter than she'd been the day before, look through an old photo album with her parents. Tonraq on her left, Senna on the right. And Korra realized that it was exactly the same positioning they used with her. "Great. We...worked it out," she whispered.

Things were better. Not perfect, but better. And they'd only  _get_ better, if she had anything to say about it.

" _That's wonderful news, Korra. I'm very happy for you."_

"Thanks. Anyway, just checking in. How's the Air Nation?"

" _The same as it was before you left."_

"So...thriving?"

" _Do you want to hear me say that?"_

"I kinda need to. It's..." She bit her lip and wrapped her finger around the cord. "I just get really worried. Is that what being a parent feels like? You're just scared all the time that something horrible is going to happen when you're not around?"

" _It can be. Before Ikki was born, Pema and I panicked about everything. Every news story in the paper was suddenly a tragedy that could happen to Jinora. We never let her out of our sight unless it was absolutely necessary."_

"That's exactly how I feel with you guys. All the time. Even something so simple as flying into the city makes me nervous."

" _We're doing fine, Korra. We're thriving. Believe me, you'll be the first person to know if that ever changes."_

Korra nodded and turned back toward Asami, who had the biggest grin plastered on her face. "Okay. Thanks. I'll call again once we get to the Fire Nation, all right?"

" _I'm looking forward to it. Goodbye."_

"Bye." She hung up the phone and raised a brow. "What are you guys showing her, exactly?"

"There are  _so_ many pictures of baby Naga in here! Korra, you have to see these. They're adorable," said Asami.

Korra chuckled in relief and leaned over the couch, looking at the old photographs over her shoulder. "I'm in most of these, you know." She pointed to a large one at the top of the page. Naga, who was only half a head taller than her grinning toddler self, was itching at a tiny saddle. "Her first saddle. Took me forever to make."

"She was not very fond of that first one. Now, why was that again, Korra?" her father teased.

"...because it..." She frowned and scratched her neck. "It rode up on her."

"Which is exactly what you should have been doing in the first place."

Korra groaned and covered her face behind Asami's hair.

Asami laughed and patted her head. "Oh, come on. It's pretty funny. And hey, your craftsmanship has only improved since then. Maybe I should have you make clothes for me some time."

Senna snickered and turned to the next page. "I'd be careful with requests like that," she said, tapping the photo of a ten year old Korra in a sleeveless top. "She might get fed up with measuring her own wingspan and just tear the arms off."

Korra pouted.

Asami giggled. "I think I'll take my chances."

* * *

Artana opened her eyes and stretched out her arms against the tree. She shielded her eyes from the midday sun and got up from her usual spot. Routine was important. Routine was stability and gave rise to freedom. It was also quite comforting.

"...for the last time, I'm not having construction crews milling about the island! Do you have idea how disruptive that kind of work would be to the temple?" ranted Tenzin as he walked across the grounds, dragging a rather ludicrous telephone extension cord behind him. "The Air Nation is already militarized enough, and I will not have you, or anyone else, turning our homes into some sort of hardened bunker!"

Artana rested an arm on her leg and watched him intently. Perhaps he was talking to Varrick? Or Raiko? Either way, she had to agree with him. Air Temples were supposed to be peaceful, safe places unfettered by the rest of the word. To undo that would be to strip an integral part of Air Nation's culture away from them.

"Hi!"

Artana spun around to find a waving Ikki. "Oh! Hello, Ikki. You startled me."

"Sorry sorry sorry! I didn't mean to! Hey, wait, I thought you couldn't get scared because you're always paying attention to everything!" Ikki pouted and put her hands on her hips. "You know, the way you look around all the time everywhere like you're worried a saber tooth moose lion is going to jump out of the bushes and eat you?"

Artana blinked and cleared her throat. Odd. "Apology accepted, though I'm not sure what you mean. Everyone gets scared sometimes."

"Not me. I'm never scared. Jinora gets scared a lot because she gets kidnapped all the time, and Meelo just lies, but I'm  _never_ scared. I'm unscarable."

For a brief moment, Artana considered how she would go about scaring Ikki, but ultimately decided against continuing train of thought. Scaring a child? Ridiculous. "I'm sure you're right. Now, was there something you needed, or did you just want to stop by and say hello?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmm, both. Did you hear from your friend yet?"

"What friend?"

"Nilani. Your friend." She poked the 'sculptor' tattoo on her arm. "That one, remember?"

Artana nodded and frowned. "No, I'm afraid I haven't." She sighed and knelt down so that they were at eye level. "Ikki, I don't think that---" There was a loud crash and she spun around to catch Tenzin tripping over the long, tangled phone cord and falling into one of the thin wooden doors. She bit back her laughter. "I was wondering how long that would take..." She jogged over to him and helped him up. "Are you all right?"

Ikki laughed and flew over to them. "Are you okay, daddy?"

Tenzin huffed and dusted himself off. "I'm fine." He looked down at the severed cord and frowned. "Though I'll have to buy another one of these, it seems."

"You should consider using a regular cord next time," said Artana. "What was that about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Hm? Oh, Raiko was trying to get me to make the island more secure. Platinum-lining, defense pillars. I don't doubt that what you helped create works, but you have to understand that it wouldn't be right to---"

"Install them in an Air Temple. No, I completely understand. This is not a place to live in fear. Ideally, it's the opposite."

Tenzin smiled. "Yes. Exactly. Thank---"

* * *

"---you for buying the 'deluxe' Unity Defense System package," Suyin read aloud. She looked up from the letter and at the dozen or so shipping crates being offloaded from the airship. Two of Asami's newest flying machines, Satohawks, were flying in a holding pattern around the landing zone. "If you're reading this, you hereby acknowledge that your purchase was delivered as ordered and forfeit any right to seek legal action..."

The railways were no longer safe in the former Earth Kingdom, despite the Untied Republic's best efforts. Zaofu had always been self-sustaining, not to mention moderately isolationist, but being almost entirely cut off from outside trade and commerce was something different altogether. The fact that her two oldest children weren't returning home anytime soon didn't help matters.

"...as a token of our gratitude here at Varrick Industries International, enclosed is a voucher good for five free mover tickets to the upcoming release of 'The Legend of Avatar Korra', the most anticipated mover in mover history..." Suyin took the aforementioned voucher out of the envelope and inspected it. Starring Bolin as...himself? Well, she didn't have a choice. Opal would be devastated if she didn't attend.

Huan scoffed and frowned more intensely than usual. "Movers have only been around for four years! If I wanted to, I could make a mover better than that. Audiences would tremble before the  _raw emotion_ of the epic, unending cycle of violence and love!"

Wing nudged him in the ribs. "Really? So do it."

Wei did the same on the other side. "Yeah! C'mon make the mover!"

Huan rolled his eyes. "It's not meant for normal eyes! If you two watched it, your eyes would burn from simply witnessing its beauty! Its perfection and magnificence. You are incapable of understanding the enormity of the act of traveling through  _time itself!_ "

"Probably because it doesn't make any sense."

Wing and Wei high-fived.

Suyin smiled and handed the defense system's manual to her husband. "What do you make of this?"

Baatar flipped open the thick book and his eyes zipped along the pages. It never got old. Watching him read, absorbing all of that information just so... _quickly._ "It looks simple enough. Installing it, I mean. We just have to drill them into the ground in high population areas, then turn them on. I'd say..." He pointed to the large, domeless districts. "One in the center of each." He sighed. "We really need to rebuild the rest of the domes. I don't like seeing Zaofu like this. The rest of the city shouldn't be so exposed."

"I know. I don't like it either, but---"

* * *

"---as much as I hate to admit it..." grumbled Desna. "Raiko does have a point. We have a responsibility to our people to protect them."

Eska scoffed and tossed the pamphlet to a nearby servant. "More like mother would be furious if we didn't try. And doesn't he know how ridiculous platinum will look on all of this ice? Our entire cultural aesthetic will be  _ruined_!"

"What if we just froze the plating over with more ice?"

"We could do that. Perhaps we should just paint it ice blue."

"The paint  _would_ freeze before it dried."

Eska nodded and clapped her hands together. "Then it's settled. Servants! Paint the tribe blue!"

"...not all of it. Just the metal parts."

"Yes. Just the---"

* * *

"---thing we'll need to combat these Red Lotus revolutionaries," said General Iroh, signing off on a rather hefty delivery of defense pillars via Satohawk airlift. He handed the clipboard back to the courier. "Please pass on my thanks to Miss Sato if you're able."

"Will do, General," said the courier.

General Iroh folded his hands behind his back and took a closer look at the pillars. Immaculate and uniform design, but bleeding edge all the same. He rolled out his map of Omashu and frowned. "Engineering Corps! I want these installed, equidistant from the palace center, by nightfall! No exceptions! The city built by the first earthbenders will  _not_ fall to the---"

* * *

"---likes of you,  _detective_!" said Raiko, raising his voice. "Do you think that the United Republic is made of money? Do you have any idea the kind of budgetary constraints that I have to work with are? Public works may be all but repaired at this point, but what about the hundreds of thousands that lost their homes and businesses from that spirit weapon?!" He scowled and made a throwaway gesture. "You're asking me to delegate funds for humanitarian aid to an  _unsanctioned refugee camp_ just outside of our city! Those are not citizens; they are squatters!"

Mako frowned and narrowed his eyes at Raiko, glaring past his head and into the back wall of his office. "That's the same justification every other politician has used to avoid having to deal with the homelessness problem in our city. Which is worse than ever, by the way. Triad numbers are rising, even though there isn't much activity. There's nothing for them to do." He leaned forward in his chair. "And do you know what happens to a large group of angry, desperate people when they're bored? Or pushed to their limits?"

Lin crossed her arms and burned a hole into Raiko's forehead. "They get angry. They fight back. They turn into terrorists. Jingdao is nothing but one massive bomb waiting to go off, Raiko. And it keeps getting bigger. Smuggling, free trade; we're pretty sure that there's some level of human trafficking being done over that wall, but we can't do a damn thing because you keep barring us from getting involved."

Raiko scowled. "Because if you did, they'd be demanding entry into the city! Or worse, to be integrated into the United Republic!"

"They're already demanding that! Protesting! It's almost every day, now!" said Mako. "Look, the enlistment program didn't work like we wanted. We have to accept that. There are still over a hundred thousand people, and growing, over there, and we can't keep ignoring them!"

"And what would you have me do?! Cancel all plans to reinforce essential government buildings? The water mains? The new electrical grid? Because that's where the money would have to come from!"

Lin slammed her fist down on his desk. "Integrate the city! Just do it! You're worried about possible threats slipping in under our noses? Raiko, I will personally go down there with every willing officer to process each and every one of these people. You have my word on that."

"I trust  _you._ I don't trust them."

Mako pinched his brow so hard it actually made something click in his head. "Do you trust active  _taxpayers_? Why not focus on that? A lot of these people aren't below the poverty line if you're willing to accept Earth Empire currency. I don't think nullifying it in the United Republic even did anything to stop the loyalists."

Raiko raised a brow and leaned back in his chair. He nodded a few times. "...that could work. Yes. It most certainly could."

"Finally---"

"However." He held up one finger. "It would be best if the Air Nation were to facilitate this transition. As a neutral party, the residents of Jingdao, I see no reason as to why we can't keep that name as a district, would most likely be more amenable to our terms if we have Tenzin's backing."

Lin shrugged. "That's your department. C'mon, Mako, we've got work to do." She marched out of the office.

Mako followed close behind her and she slammed Raiko's new door shut once he cleared it. "...I think I get why people want to break this door so much."

"You're only figuring that out now?"

He shrugged. "Figure of speech."

Lin smirked. "No it's not." She patted him on the shoulder. "Good job in there, kid. I'd never have thought of pulling the taxpayer card. If I didn't like you, I'd say you have a future in politics."

"You said the same thing about tunnel hunting."

"Heh. Suppose I did. By the way, think you can convince your moron of a brother to stop stringing my niece along?"

Mako winced. "Yeaaaaaaaaaah, I don't think I'm the guy to talk to about that."

"Yes you are. You're his older brother. So act like it and kick him in the back of the leg so he can get down on one knee or however it is you people propose."

"What? I'm not doing that. I didn't---"

* * *

"---ask for this kind of bad news!" yelled Varrick, leaning over the craft services table and nearly getting his clothes covered in frosting. "I said we needed the new VarriCameras by today! Not three days from now! They just keep exploding!"

Opal crossed her arms and stared him down. "Okay." It would be so easy just to shove his face into the cake. So easy. "I don't understand why you're angry at  _me_ about this."

"Because you're distracting the talent. Or...not distracting him enough. Can't tell, don't care, just go tell the tech people that I'm angry!"

"No."

"Fine! Then I'll do it." Varrick threw up hands and stomped off of the set, ranting about giant purple beams of light and vacuums, of all things.

Bolin walked up beside her and scratched the back of his head. "Production get delayed?"

"Apparently. His fancy replacement cameras are a few days late."

"Oooh, yeah, he was really excited about those." He shrugged. "So...lunch?"

Opal turned and smiled. "I'd love to." She looked down at his jacket pockets, where his hands were fidgeting. "Something wrong?"

"Hm? What? No. Nothing. My hands are cold."

Opal raised a brow but shrugged. "Come on, then."

 

* * *

 

"What in the world are you listening to?" asked Korra, setting their food down on the table. Much to her excitement, Asami had insisted that they eat outdoors, since that was the best way to experience the Fire Nation capital.

And it truly was a sight to behold. From above, it had been surreal. An entire city built in the mouth of a dormant volcano. Skyscrapers reaching just shy of those in Republic City, yet once they'd landed, she realized that everything was so much more compacted. Shops were closer together, tiny winding alleyways could take one anywhere, performance art rounded every other corner, and she couldn't walk a block without finding some sort of historical landmark.

Also, almost everything was red. The airships, the satocycles, the buildings, the carpets; it was all red. Even the  _food,_ which was just sort of weird, if Korra thought about it.

Asami smiled and turned the radio up a little louder. "It's a radio play they only broadcast in the Fire Nation. I haven't heard it since I was a girl. I was sure they'd stopped airing it years a go, but I guess it's still going."

" _I am a scientist, I have to act on my own theory. I can't let my emotions get in the way. But it's impossible to forget everything...because I've known you for longer than we've lived. This is reality. This is the world,"_ asserted a woman

" _Theories are nothing more than words! Accept what you have seen, for it is the hand of fate!"_ boasted a man.

"The Future Gadget Hour." Asami shrugged. "It's a never-ending love story about two scientists. I guess they took the 'never ending' part to heart."

" _Only certified mad scientists drink the purple nectar of the spirits!"_ ranted the man.

"I can see why you like it. But the guy sounds a little..." She wiggled her hand.

" _Certified is right! You can't drink that! It's not even a liquid!"_ responded the woman, exasperated.

"Crazy? Yeah, that's his thing." Asami wrinkled her nose and inspected the meal she'd picked out for her. "Pig-chicken, veggies and...noodles." She snorted into a light laugh and shook her head. "I just...I don't even know how to respond anymore. I can't avoid it, you seem to love it, and it is objectively cute." She took a bite out of the pig-chicken. "Sort of," she mumbled.

"It wouldn't come up so often if I didn't love noodles so much."

Asami gave her a lazy smile. "I guess you're right. Good thing I love..." She sighed and sat up in her chair. "Korra, this is-I love you, okay, but it's just-I'm not calling you hot water. It just really doesn't do it for me."

Korra snickered and kissed her on the cheek. "It's okay. It's not a big deal. Still calling you noodles, though. For now."

Asami rolled her eyes playfully. "For now, hm?"

"Could be worse." Korra gave her a crooked grin. "Aren't you glad I kept it just between you and me? And Iroh?" Naga nudged her head and licked her face. "And Naga, of course." Korra scratched Naga's chin.

"I am. Why, is that a threat to unleash it upon the world?"

"Of course not!"

"Oh, good."

"It wouldn't be cute anymore if  _everyone_ was using it."

Asami snorted into a small smile. "Makes sense." She wrinkled her nose and looked around at the slowly scattering pedestrians. "...do you hear that?"

Korra stood from her chair and looked to Naga, who was crouched down with her teeth bared. "Yeah, I think so." She peeked around the corner and raised her brows.

A huge mob of Fire Nation protestors were marching down the main road, yelling obscenities and hoisting picket signs above their heads that read everything from 'Free Fire Society' to a very cruel, albeit clever pun with the Fire Lord's name.

"We should get off the streets," she said, turning back to Asami. "There's a huge protest coming this way and it looks like it could turn violent."

Asami raised a brow and looked down the street herself. "Oh, the Free Fire Society? They're not violent. Angry, yes. But very committed to civil disobedience." She shrugged and went back to her food. "And can you really blame them? The Fire Nation is the most modernized country in the world. Their government should reflect that."

"Wait, wait, wait. You support those guys?"

"Mhmm. I've been donating to their NPO for the past few years. They want an end to the monarchy and to install a democracy in its place."

Korra looked back and forth between the mob and Asami, baffled. "I...think I'll be neutral with this one. You're making a really good point, but I can't just denounce the royal family. There's just too much history there. I'm sorry."

Asami waved her off. "You have nothing to apologize for, Korra. I understand. I'm not asking you to advocate for these people. I'm just letting you know what they're all about. Not every radical political party are cults of personality. Or like hurting people." She sighed. "Very few do, in fact."

Korra nodded and watched the mob stomp past them and toward the palace at the center of the city. Men, women and children of every kind marched side by side, raising their voices to what felt like their entire country. She still felt like something was...off. That there was violence, darkness, lurking just beneath the surface, but then again maybe she just had some bad food for breakfast.

Oh. Or...or not. It wasn't just her imagination, then. Because if Raava could sense it, then, well, something was up. And yet, she couldn't help but think that it worked both ways. Maybe Raava was just getting the side effects of the food too---Korra that's completely ridiculous. Spirits don't have digestive systems. Please focus.

"I've got a bad feeling about all of this. So does Raava, but we can't put our---my finger on it." Korra crossed her arms. "Something in the air is just...wrong."

Asami raised her brows. "Should we go back to the hotel? I know you wanted to check in on Tenzin once we got settled. Maybe you're just anxious."

Korra bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that's probably it. Thanks."

"Of course."

 

* * *

 

Asami stepped out on to the balcony of their suite and looked out over the bustling city. It wasn't quite as populated as Repbulic City, but the Fire Nation capitol certainly had them beat both in light and passion. There was an astounding amount of both energy and incredibly bright lights that permeated everything. Strong reds and striking yellows bled into one another across the skyline and below. If she looked closely, she could even see the protesters milling about a few blocks over; their firebent torches a dead giveaway.

Naga rubbed up against her, and she smiled. It was impossible not to look at the giant, adorable polar bear dog and not feel...content. Happy and calm. A constant, fixed point of positivity was refreshing. And it would always be welcome.

Asami scratched Naga's cheeks and chuckled. "Lonely? That's okay. I'll keep you company while Korra takes care of a few things." She blinked. "...hey, are you all right? You look a little distracted."

Naga gently poked her forehead with her snout and panted happily.

"Oh, okay. That's good. Uhm, wait." Asami raised a brow. "Do you mean it's all in  _my_ head, or all in  _yours_?" she asked, gesturing between them.

Naga tilted her head and huffed.

"Right. Mine. Sorry, it's just---" She smiled sadly and rubbed Naga's ears. "It's been a long time since I've felt this okay," she whispered.

"Answer the damn phone, Tenzin!" groaned Korra from the other room. "This isn't funny!"

Asami looked up at the sky and saw no stars. Too much light pollution. Just like home. It was comforting in an odd sort of way. Familiarity. Yet, on another level, she really did miss the Southern Lights. "I owe a lot of that to the both of you. Most of it, I think. But I've never felt closer to...where ever it is that I'm headed, and I'm really not sure what that is." She sighed. "I don't think I need to, though. Not when I've got you two," she whispered, kissing Naga on the forehead. "Thanks for listening."

Korra sprinted on to the balcony and dragged Asami back into the suite by the arm in a panic. "They're not answering the phone. We have to go back. Now." She started stuffing their suitcases in a mad rush, picking up things that weren't even theirs to begin with and shoving in to the bags. "Why are you just standing there? Come on, we have to move!" she said, her eyes shaking in fear.

Asami approached her slowly, a little dazed from Korra's mood swing. She could handle it, though. Letting one's mind run wild was something she was very familiar with. "Korra, they're probably just asleep. Meelo could have just disconnected the line again," she said soothingly.

"No, no, it's not that, it's not. I'd know if it was that, okay? And I already asked the operator to connect me to Mako and Bolin, but they're not answering either!"

"Korra, just take a deep breath---"

"They---the Red Lotus could have attacked! Maybe the triads! Or a tidal wave or an earthquake or maybe the loyalists invaded again!" She raked her hands through her hair. "I knew I should have gone back instead of following you here! I'm such an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot. They're fine."

Korra shivered and scratched at her arms. "They're in trouble and I'm not there and I  _promised_ I always would be and they're hurt or worse or Zaheer got out again and how am I supposed to stop him if I'm all the way in the Fire Nation!?"

Naga nuzzled her cheek, but it didn't seem to have any effect on Korra, which was incredibly troubling. Instead of calming down, she retreated inward and started hyperventilating. She fell to her knees and balled up on the floor.

Asami sat down beside her and gently helped her sit up. She rubbed her back and her mind raced forward, running for a solution. A quick fix; anything to calm her down. What if she was right, though? What if they really  _were_ in trouble? But---no. No, the swamp was  _wrong._ It would always be wrong.

Besides, Jinora would just project her spirit to---oh. That was it.

"Korra, what's the first thing that would happen if Tenzin and his family were in trouble?"

Korra blinked several times and turned to her, flop sweat dripping down from her forehead to her chin. She was paler, almost sickly. "She...she would project her spirit to me and ask for help."

"That's right. And she hasn't done that."

Korra cringed and balled her hands into fists. "Which means she's dead."

"No! No, it means she's okay. She's fine. Everyone's fine." Asami took her hand and placed it on the floor. "Here, why don't you try the reverse. You can check on her from anywhere in the world using the vines, right?"

Korra nodded rapidly and closed her eyes. A yellow ring glowed around her flattened palm and she stopped shaking. Her lost color returned to her face, and Asami wiped off the rest of her sweat. Korra opened her eyes and flexed her hand. "She's...uhm..." She blushed.

"She's all right?"

"Well..."

Jinora flickered into existence between them, dressed in a robe, with a very frustrated expression. "Not so fun the other way around, now is it? Is it really so much to ask for some privacy? Honestly, it's bad enough with Ikki..."

Korra frowned. "Sorry. I was just worried. Nobody answered the phone."

"Dad broke it the other day, and we haven't gotten it fixed yet. Now leave me alone." And with that, she was gone.

Korra stared off into nothing for a few moments. She rubbed her arms and shook out her head. "Ugh. Hate it when this happens." She slowly got to her feet and rubbed her eye with the flat of her palm. "I haven't been away this long in over a year, and I guess it's been bothering more than I realized. Sorry."

Asami wrapped her in a fierce hug. "You have nothing to apologize for. You're just trying to protect your family, right?"

Korra smiled. "Yeah. Talk about awkward, though."

Asami snorted and kissed her on the forehead. "I think that means we're even."

Korra snickered and scratched Naga's ears. "Guess so. I think I need some fresh air for a few minutes," she said, slowing her breath.

"Come on out to the balcony. It's quite the view."

 

* * *

 

Baatar scratched his beard and narrowed his eyes at the prototype airburst suit. Designed with non-benders in mind, it was supposed to counter ranged combat with increasing the speed and agility of the wearer with compressed air, similar to airbending. Or so he'd been told by the many pages of documentation Asami had attached to the sketch. But something was off about it. He just couldn't put his finger on what that was.

Artana crossed her arms and circled it. "...it looks more than adequate to me. I'm unsure of what you're getting at."

"Something's missing, and it's going to drive me crazy if I don't figure it out."

"Perhaps you're over thinking it?"

"I doubt it. This is brand new tech. I can't afford  _not_ to over think it."

"It's almost midnight." She checked her watch. "Correction: Three minutes to midnight. Oh, my mistake, this is set to Fire Nation time..." She reset the clock to the correct time. "There we are. Three minutes to...five in the morning. I think we should call it a day, Baatar. Though morning would be more accurate."

Kuvira turned to another page in her book. "I agree---wait, why was it set to Fire Nation time?"

"I was speaking to my cousin earlier today and I didn't want intrude at a bad time."

"Hm. Well, in any case, you won't accomplish anything with an exhausted mind, Baatar."

"I'm not exhausted."

"You are. You're just not aware of it quite yet. What do you think would happen if I spent every hour of every day submerged in conspiracy theories, theoretical military doctrine and the political happenings of the day? I'd be driven mad inside of a week." She closed her book and walked over to him. "You need rest."

"I'm  _fine---_ " He yawned, completely involuntarily.

Kuvira smirked, and then yawned herself.

And then Artana yawned.

Kuvira looked between the three of them. "...that's the tenth time that's happened to me. Someone should do a study on that."

"If I recall, yawning is a social phenomenon," said Artana.

"That's ridiculous. It's a yawn. Nothing more."

"Maybe. Maybe not. It's something worth considering."

The workshop phone rang and Baatar answered it. "Future Industries, Baatar speaking. I'm sorry, but we're-" He closed his mouth and lit up with joy. "He did!? Finally!" He cleared his throat and stiffened. "What? No, I had no idea-he was-would you have  _rather I told you?!_ No, I didn't think so. Okay, did you call mom? Good. I'm so happy for you both. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Goodnight." He hung up and grinned at Kuvira.

Kuvira raised a brow. "...what just happened?"

"Bolin proposed."

"That's wonderful news." Kuvira smiled. "...you know, they really are my favorite couple."

"I know."

* * *

"...which means we'll probably be meeting with the Fire Lord tomorrow," said Asami. "Which I'm looking forward to. I've only met her once, and very briefly."

"Does that count, though? You were drunk and piloting a VarriMech," said Korra.

"It counts. It wasn't the best first impression, but it still counts."

Korra chuckled. "Not in the best of ways, but I guess so, yeah. She'll like you. Probably. I don't really know her that well myself." She blinked. "But---"

"Just because I support a political party that wants positive change in their own country doesn't mean I have any disdain for the current ruling party."

"Oh. Never mind, then."

Asami opened her mouth but was cut off by the telephone ringing in the other room. "Tenzin?"

Korra shook her head as she walked over to the phone. "I doubt it. Even if he knew I was worried, he'd call in the morning."

Asami followed her inside, with Naga in tow. "Why do you say that?"

"Just a gut feeling." She picked up the phone. "Hello? Opal? What---okay, slow down. Are you in a tornado or something because I can barely hear you. I said I can barely hear you!" She covered the receiver and gave Asami a shrug. "Just---yes, hello Pabu, please put Opal back on. Now, why are---" Korra gasped and covered her mouth. She grinned and hopped up and down. "WHAT?! NO WAY! HE DIDN'T!" Korra spun in place and giggled wildly. "Asami! Bolin proposed!"

Asami grinned wide as can be sidled up next to Korra. "How did it happen?! When?! Ugh,  _finally_ but how? What did he do?"

Korra handed her the telephone and leaped over to Naga.

" _Hello? Asami?"_

"Yes! Opal! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you! For both of you."

" _Thanks! Oh, you should have seen it was amazing it was the most romantic thing I've ever seen! Or heard of! I just---I couldn't stop spinning. I'm just so happy right now and I don't know how to contain all of it. And now I'm crying again."_

"You don't have to contain it. This is your moment, Opal. It's all about you. And also, Bolin, to an extent."

" _Believe me, he is utterly convinced that it has nothing to do with him. I keep trying to tell him that's ridiculous but, well, you know Bolin. Keep trying? What am I even saying? It was an hour ago! I'm engaged!"_

"You're engaged!"

" _I know! You guys gotta come back so I can show you the ring."_

Korra stiffened and Naga's ears flattened. "Hey, Asami, do you feel that?"

"One second, Korra."

" _Don't let me keep you two."_

"You're not, don't worry about."

Korra furrowed her brow and approached her. "Asami, I'm serious. Something's up."

"It's probably just gas."

" _Hah!"_

"It's not gas! It feels like..." She shuddered. "...like...damnit, what is it?! I know this!"

Asami huffed and covered the receiver with her hand. She turned to Korra. "Look, it's okay, just take a moment---" Her heart stopped and dropped the phone. It cracked on the floor. Behind Korra, out the window, bright purple flickered.

"Oh, fuck."

The shock wave hit first, shattering the glass, along with most of the wooden panels, and sending them flying against the back wall, Naga included. Asami yelped, fell to the floor and looked up, only to be blinded by the growing blast. It surged toward her, tearing everything apart in its path, vaporizing entire city blocks. Korra rolled in front of her, her eyes brighter than the bomb, struggling, as if something wasn't working. Wasn't happening like it was supposed to.

The foundation shook, and the last thing she saw wasn't darkness. It was light.

Blinding purple light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSYCHE YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS A BREATHER CHAPTER BUT IT WASN'T! AW SHIT! HERE WE GO. This is when Poop. Gets. REAL. I've wanted to write this part of the story ever since I came up with the damn thing back in early January. But, I knew I couldn't just jump into it. I had to earn it. And I think I did that. 
> 
> First REAL F-Bomb! No Alternate Realities involved! :D 
> 
> The Fire Nation is supposed to feel like Europe to Republic City's "New York City"-thing. Older, tighter, but more lived-in. Think 1930s London. Not in terms of architecture though, obviously. The outdoor cafe scene is more...well, we never got to see the Fire Nation in The Legend of Korra, so that's why we get two big chunks of environmental stuff in this chapter. We'll get more in the next. Even if a chunk of it is GONE.
> 
> The "Future Gadget Hour" (including some of that dialog. Tried to get the dub version of the anime, rather than the translated VN, but still) is a blatant reference to "Steins;Gate", which is actually serving triple duty internally for this story. Also, if you haven't read Backdraft yet, I highly suggest that you do. Reading both of these stories really makes them both much, much better...even though that one is dead. They stand on their own, of course, but they're cooler when paired. Korra's whole 'thing' with the Air Nation in this chapter is a great example of that. Same with Tenzin's resistance to fortifying the island.
> 
> Kuvira is reading historical fiction about a crazy bloodbending dictator. It's totally random information, but I thought it'd be funny if I let you folks know that she was reading that.
> 
> ...oh, and remember how "Kuvira's Gambit" ended? Because I do. :D
> 
> Anyway, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. No matter how scathing, random, loud, enraged, rambling, or gushy your thoughts may be, I wanna hear 'em.


	19. Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contrary to popular belief, war can indeed change. It can get so, so much worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by thejmpr and now, somehow, also beech27! Oh, and this chapter was co-written with iviscrit.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Ten Months, One Day after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Summer, 175 A.G._

 

Everything was muffled. Foggy, indistinct voices grew louder, edging closer. Asami tried to open her eyes, but they were already open; her vision was nothing but burning white. Her ears rung painfully, and moving her head sent a sharp pain through her ribs. She winced, her mouth forming words her ears couldn't hear. She flexed her hands and wiggled her toes, confirming she still had them, and felt...cold. Her forehead was cold. And then slowly, the blinding whiteness melted away, her eyes regaining focus.

Korra was above her, waterskin slung over her shoulder, eyes shuddering in fear and carefully kneading Asami's forehead. The soft blue glow of her healing water poked at the edges of her vision, illuminating Korra's face in the dark and smog filled night.

"-okay? Just lay right there and take your time. We're fine. Everything's fine," soothed Korra. She slid the blue glow to the back of Asami's head and cradled her in her lap. "Your ribs were pretty bruised, but I-"

She'd hit the wall. The back wall of the suite; thrown against it from the-

"Bomb!" Asami's eyes bugged out of her head. She sat up and immediately doubled over from the stabbing pain radiating from her ribs. She grit her teeth and braced her side. "Shit!"

Korra quickly moved in front of her, shifting the water to her ribs. "We're okay." Naga bent down and nudged Asami's cheek, whining. "See? We're fine. Just focus on me. It was a pretty close call, though." She frowned. "Almost couldn't energybend a bubble to block the blast. Not a lot of spiritual energy around here..."

Asami furrowed her brow. She'd have to follow up on that later. Her head throbbed too much to think about it. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. Now, let's just rest here for a bit. No rush."

"I smell smoke." She tried to look over Korra's shoulder, but she kept moving to block her.

"It's the Fire Nation. Something's always burning."

"Cut that out. What are you hiding?"

Korra sighed, her posture collapsing. She frowned, looking defeated. "Your defense system..." She bowed her head. "It didn't work. I'm  _so_  sorry, Asami. It-I don't get how it could have failed! All of that testing..."

Asami gaped and felt a cold chill run down her spine. "That's...that's impossible. The Fire Nation installed them  _first._ Months ago! If it didn't work, then..." She nudged Korra out of the way and paled.

Sirens, screams, raging fires and shattering glass flooded her eardrums. Half of the hotel was seared away, vertically, and what was left of the streets were collapsed into the sinking, bubbling mud. Sewage spewed out of broken pipes, and power lines sparked wildly, lighting up the otherwise pitch black part of the capitol. A crater, around ten blocks in diameter, and several stories deep, was smoking in the distance.

And above the all consuming chaos, a bright green flare burned through the blackened sky.

"Korra. Look up."

She did, and stared, a pained look contorting her face.

It had worked exactly as designed. Just not well enough.

Not nearly enough.

 

* * *

 

 

Varrick stared at himself in the mirror, admiring the man on the other side. Always sharp. Always prim, but  _never_ proper. Or was it the other way around? He swept his palms over his cheeks, chin, and mustache. He grinned. "Zhu Li? Hand me the Varr...lec...Varrilec..." He snapped his fingers several times, searching. "...the electric razor. Real name. TBA. The thing. With the prongs."

Zhu Li started pulling out gadget after brilliant gadget out of their bathroom drawers. Most of them needed electricity to work, and therefore were not to be used near the bathtub. Ever. "I think that's on your to-do list, dear. I can't seem to find it."

"But my face needs a trim!"

Zhu Li handed him a straight razor. "Tweezers could also work."

"I'm a visionary, not a sadist," he said, poking the flat of the razor. "Tweezers are far more pain than they're worth, thank you very much."

"Ah. Is filming going well?"

"Oh, it's going fantastic! You're going to love it." He slathered his face with shaving cream. "Every other scene, I cry! Bawlin' like a baby." He shaved, carefully, with the grain. And then against the grain, and then he repeated. Thrice. "Though that's mostly because of the tear gas scene we keep having to re-shoot. I tell yah, the actors we got...only Bolin can really take a hit. It's like the rest of them have never been in a fight before!"

Zhu Li smiled. "Well, they are actors, dear."

"Good point. Note to self: Have Bolin train actors to take punches," he said, raising his fists and making a 'ker-pow' sound.

"That's not exactly what I meant, though it would be more realistic."

"VARRIMETHOD!" he said, laughing and rinsing his razor. "Making people more like people." He snapped his head to the right as he  _felt_ the telephone ring before it even did so. "Which line is that?"

Zhu Li walked back into the bedroom and inspected the several telephones they had installed. "...it looks to be the police line, dear."

"Let it ring, then. Probably nothing important if they're using  _that_ one."

Zhu Li picked up the phone anyway. Her intuition as a smarter person than he was must have told her something was amiss. Or maybe she just made a snap decision and went with it. Either way, he couldn't fault for her it. "Varrick residence, Zhu Li speaking. Oh, hello, President Raiko." She furrowed her brow and reached for the notepad on the desk, scribbling down note after note. "Mhmm. Yes, I understand. I'll be sure to notify him."

Varrick raised a brow and wiped off his face with a towel. "So...ready to start the day?"

"There was a spirit bombing in the Fire Nation capitol earlier this morning."

His eyes widened. "Oh." He scratched his head. "...wait, did you say bombing or  _beam-ing?_ "

"Bomb."

Varrick hopped over to the phone cabinet and perused it, searching for the line labeled 'Retainer Guy, Esq – Miscellaneous'. "I'm calling our lawyer."

"We have a lawyer for  _this_?"

"We have a lawyer for  _everything!"_

 

* * *

 

 

Kuvira stared at the diagram of the airburst suit. It was a puzzle that needed to be solved. She'd stayed up all evening trying to solve it with Baatar, who was now passed out on his office couch, still dressed; but she wasn't about to give up so easily.

She poked the mannequin in the nose. Something was missing.  _Something_. Something she'd seen thousands of times before. Her mind was rattled and exhausted, but she had to...she just had to fix it. She had to persevere, because if she went to bed, and then woke up, well...she didn't have that much to do in the first place.

And then it hit her like a bolt of lightning. She actually laughed in her exhaustion, and whooped. "I got it!" she said in excitement, jostling Baatar and grinning. "Baatar, I figured it out. It was so simple and obvious. I have no idea how we missed it entirely."

Baatar woke up with a start and took a moment to find his bearings, as she'd just been shaking him awake. She wasn't happy very often as of late, and he decided to enjoy it while it lasted. He adjusted his glasses; Kuvira had slipped them onto his face. "What's going on? Are we under attack?"

"No, but your suit is missing a helmet."

Baatar raised a brow and then stared at the mannequin, laughing in disbelief. "Of course! The sketch she sent didn't have a helmet! That's... quite a thing to miss. Well, that shouldn't be too difficult to-"

The office door exploded open with a flurry of stone shards. Kuvira shifted her weight, sending Baatar flying behind his desk to shield him as some of the glassware and picture frames around the office shattered. Metal cables shot toward Kuvira, but she reversed them and bound her attackers into the walls of the building. On instinct, she wrapped the rest in a metal sheet and flattened them against the ground.

"I thought you said we weren't under attack!" said Baatar, peeking his head out from behind his desk. "...Aunt Lin?"

Kuvira looked back toward the door and froze, slowly holding up her hands in surrender. Chief Lin Beifong stomped over her flattened and groaning officers with a very unamused expression. "I was not given proper warning before-"

Lin flicked her on the forehead. "Yeah. I know. Got some overeager officers in the ranks because we've had to boost our numbers. So, let's try this again." She pulled Kuvira's hands behind her back and clasped them together with platinum cuffs. "Kuvira, Baatar Beifong, you two are hereby under arrest under suspicion of aiding and abetting in terrorist and military actions unsanctioned by the United Republic against the Fire Nation."

Baatar stared at her in disbelief as his own hands were cuffed behind his back. "What? This is ridiculous!"

"Tell that to the victims in the Fire Nation."

Kuvira and Baatar exchanged a look. "...what are you talking about?" asked Kuvira, hesitantly.

"You haven't heard? Somebody just spirit bombed the Fire Nation capitol."

Baatar paled and looked at Kuvira. "No..."

Kuvira shook her head. "That's not possible. The defense system-"

Lin sighed and slapped a metal strip over her mouth. "I'm not the one you should be arguing with. Save it for Raiko, and your lawyer. I'm just as much in the dark as you two are, but Raiko wants me to bring you in. So I'm bringing you in. Understood?"

Kuvira nodded.

"Good. But..." She smirked. "I'm gonna leave that on there for now. Not so fun when it happens to you, is it?"

Kuvira glared at her.

"Didn't think so."

 

* * *

 

 

"... _estimated casualties are anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000. We've reached out to Future Industries and Varrick Industries International, but both companies have declined to comment..."_

Korra stared at the growing crowd in the middle of the airport. Panicked families ran in a full sprint toward their airships, dragging along very little. Only what they could carry. Police officers tried to instill some sort of order with shouted commands, but they clearly fell on deaf ears, since it only got worse. There were only so many seats, and far more people. Just trying to escape. To live.

No order. Only fear.

"I keep going over the designs in my head. Of the pillars," said Asami, her eyes glazed over. "And I just keep thinking that dad wouldn't have let this happen. He'd have seen something I didn't. Just like the plasma saws." She slammed her fist into the wall. "Do you have any idea how obvious of an alteration that was? It took us an  _hour."_

"You can't save everyone." Korra gently extricated her fist from the wall and entwined their fingers. "Believe me, I've lost so much sleep over that. What if I'd done this? What if I'd been faster? What if I hadn't been so stubborn? Nothing good comes of it. You just feel worse."

"Worse is how I should be feeling. They can't even confirm how many dead there are because there  _aren't any bodies._ Tens of thousands of empty caskets."

"It'd be a lot more if-"

A ring of fire erupted around them, instantly rousing Naga from her nap. She roared, and the crowd panicked even more, scattering faster and faster. Korra reached out to the fire and extinguished it with a quick arc of her hands. Not a moment later, it reignited taller and hotter than it was before.

"ASAMI SATO! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST IN THE NAME OF THE FIRE LORD ON SUSPICION OF FRAUD, HIGH TREASON AND FACILITATING TERRORIST ACTIONS!" shouted a woman with a megaphone from the other side of the flames.

Korra scowled and extinguished the flames once more, revealing a dozen CCPD Special Response officers. "This is completely insane." She glared at the woman with the megaphone. "She's innocent. You want to get to her? You'll have to go through me."

Naga roared again and flashed her massive teeth.

"And Naga."

Asami grabbed her arm. "Don't make this worse. Please," she said, exhausted. "There's no way out of this situation that doesn't involve you fighting off the entire Fire Nation military. Which, while you could do that, isn't a great idea."

"I'm not letting them take you."

"Then come with."

Korra raised a brow. "You think they'd let me?"

Asami shrugged. "You're the Avatar."

"Hey! Megaphone lady! Let me come with and there won't be any trouble."

"AND THE POLAR BEAR DOG?"

"Her too."

The megaphone lady conversed with her fellow officers for a few moments. "FINE. IT'S NOT PROPER PROTOCOL, BUT NEITHER IS TODAY. AND WE DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU."

"Good idea."

 

* * *

 

 

Raiko massaged his temples and sat back in his chair. He'd closed the borders nearly a year ago. He'd mandated the tightest security possible around the Spirit Vines. He'd used taxpayer money to fund every discernible defense and research project he could find. And still, it hadn't been enough.

Tens of thousands dead in the blink of an eye. Centuries old buildings were just...gone. And no clear next step.

Fire Lord Izumi sat across from him, flanked by her own bodyguards. "I hope you know what you're doing, President Raiko."

"Know what I'm doing? Fire Lord Izumi, with all due respect, do you have idea, any idea at all, the  _insanity_ that my job entails? Just on a day to day basis?"

"The Fire Nation-"

"-has been peaceful and stable for the past fifty years. Many would say for centuries. What's the worst thing you've had to worry about in your lifetime? A bunch of rogue benders trying to destroy all the world's governments, but never got around to targeting you? Perhaps tax reform? Peaceful protestors?" He gripped his armrests. "My city has been all but destroyed  _three times_ in five years! Two of those times involved things that were twenty-five stories tall and shot giant purple beams of energy at everything in its path! The other time? A delusional bloodbender trying to commit genocide!" He leaned forward. "So when you ask me, if I know what I'm doing, maybe consider for a moment if  _you_ would have any idea what to do in my position. If you do, by all means! Let me know, because I am this close to having an aneurysm!"

Izumi raised a brow. "Are you done?"

Raiko sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Yes. I am. Now..." He checked his watch. "Do you see my door?"

"I do. Why?"

The metal door, brand new and shiny, was torn open in the middle by a very angry looking Avatar, quickly followed by Asami Sato, Varrick, Zhu Li, Kuvira, Baatar and...that other engineer. What was her name? Arlana? Misato? Zutara? Artana. That was it. They took their seats around the room, still in handcuffs, sans the Avatar.

And no one said anything.

Raiko cleared his throat. "...good. Now that you're all here, we can begin."

Korra crossed her arms and glared at him. "This is ridiculous."

Fire Lord Izumi frowned. "Avatar Korra, we don't have time to waste with this kind of nonsense. We need to get to the bottom of this, because, in case you forgot the tragedy you were quite literally in the center of, a good portion of my capitol was completely destroyed."

"And yet you're saying Asami helped whoever did this. And is guilty of high treason."

"Think of it from my perspective. Four of the most brilliant scientists in the world use the knowledge of a fifth brilliant scientist to develop countermeasures for the most destructive weapon the world has ever known. A countermeasure that failed."

Korra opened her mouth, but quickly closed it.

Raiko sighed. "You've been arrested because, with the exception of Avatar Korra, all of you are under suspicion. Have you been listening to the radio? No less than fifteen extremist groups have been taking credit for this attack! Do you think anyone is going to believe that one of them is really responsible for the bombing when  _all of them_ are trying to claim responsibility?"

"Fine," Korra said, her nostrils flaring. "Why is Kuvira here?"

Raiko scoffed. "For the same reason the rest of them are. She's in a unique position to manipulate her own Loyalist military, if she chose to, into doing whatever it is that she wants them to do. This bombing was well within her power to accomplish, and judging by her prior methods and motivations, not unlikely."

"Look, Raiko, all you're doing is guess work. We all know it's the Red-"

"Avatar Korra!" Raiko stared her down so intensely she actually shut her mouth. "The last thing we want is to jump to hasty conclusions.  _Other explanations must be explored,_ do you understand?"

Asami whispered something into Korra's ear and she gulped.

"Oh." Korra nodded. "I understand. But you still don't have any proof!"

Izumi scowled. "The only proof I need is the smoldering crater where tens of thousands of my citizens, the people that I was sworn to protect, used to be." She glared at Asami. "You, personally, gave myself, Raiko and the other world leaders a product demonstration to assure us that your Unity Defense system did indeed work. This morning, it didn't. You either manufactured faulty products knowingly, or through negligence. Both are extreme criminal offenses on this scale."

"That's circumstantial, at best," growled, Asami. "Your only rightful arrest was Kuvira. Everyone else...you really don't have any legal footing." She pinched her brow. "Where the hell is that lawyer?!"

As if in reply, a man of Fire Nation descent, presumably the lawyer, stepped through the remains of Raiko's door with a briefcase under his arm. His dark amber eyes swept over the assembled people in the room, twinkling with mischief. "Varrick!" he said, snapping his fingers. "There you are! You rang?"

"Yes!" Varrick said, raising his cuffed hands triumphantly. "Finally! Hey, you're gonna love this guy! He's the best in the business!"

"Let's not get carried away," the lawyer said, but his smile was unmistakable. "Everyone, I'm Keisai Sabad. Varrick called me in to help with this farce." He glanced back at the door, running a hand through his hair. "I'm a bit offended, Mr. President. I was deprived the delight of blasting that door open myself. This detracts from the entrance I had planned, you know?"

Raiko's mouth twitched. "If you expect me to apologize for inconveniencing your  _theatrical entrance_ by my door being ripped open by the Avatar-"

"Not now, Mr. President," Keisai said. "I'm as torn up about this as you are, trust me. But you all know why I'm here, and it's my job to show you why they-" he spread his arms wide, gesturing to Korra, Asami, Varrick, Zhu Li, Artana, Baatar, and Kuvira- "shouldn't be."

"I beg your pardon?" Raiko said icily.

"I could go about this two ways," Keisai said, walking to the table and drumming his fingers on its surface. "I could go the long, arduous route and explain how Kuvira's entire role in this mess is a legal nightmare- Kuvira, remember your case? The one that I was entirely ready to take, if not for-"

"No." Kuvira's voice was short, clipped. "There was never any case. There wasn't even a trial."

"Easy, sweetheart. I meant the case that  _should_  have happened, but didn't because… well,  _you_  must know why, Mr. President."

Baatar bristled at the endearment. "Can we hear the short version?"

"Sure," Keisai said, shrugging. "The short version is that your upstanding president opted to use Kuvira to the fullest capacity. That started with effective indentured servitude-Kuvira, you couldn't give  _any_  legal counsel a call before you signed?-and most recently resulted in him using her public appearance as a strategic ploy."

"These are very serious accusations, Mr. Sabad," Raiko said angrily.

"And accurate ones," muttered Artana.

"Very serious accusations stem from very serious legal debacles," the lawyer said, his expression sobering. "Mr. President, you knew that your city was teeming with potential loyalists. What you  _didn't_  know was when and where they would strike. My client is… eccentric, let's go with that. You had the perfect opportunity to draw the loyalists out of hiding, and you took it by using the Great Uniter for a public appearance at Miss Sato's party."

"Hey!" said Varrick. "That was  _my_ party and she had nothing to do with it. You think Asami could throw a party that fantastic? No, of course not!"

Asami rolled her eyes.

"She signed, as you yourself said," Raiko pointed out, ignoring Varrick's outburst. "Not to mention she effectively threatened my life and attacked my bodyguards-"

"Because I had just been informed that my fiance was alive," Kuvira said, raising her voice. "Are we going to pretend that  _ten months_  of psychological torture never happened?"

"Yes! We are!" said Raiko. "Have you forgotten the terms on which-"

"You let her think I was dead for nearly a year. That she killed me," Baatar snapped. "You don't have a leg to stand on either."

"Miss Sato already played that card," Raiko said, gesturing to Asami. "If you recall, it's why you're even here in the first place."

Asami curled her lips into a frown. "I can use it more than once, and you're fresh out of leverage."

"Enough of this bickering," said Izumi, raising her voice. "This isn't relevant to the problem at hand."

Keisai nodded to her. "My thoughts...exactly. Mr. President, it looks like you're just trying to scapegoat Kuvira. The way she's been treated doesn't do much in your favor. Now, you must be Miss Sato?" he said, looking to Asami.

Asami nodded.

"Miss Sato, I'm a citizen of the Fire Nation. Fortunately I was abroad when the terrorist attacks transpired, but do you know what I came home to, apart from carnage?"

Asami frowned. "I'm assuming this is rhetorical-"

"My office, along with ten blocks of the Fire Nation capitol-"

"-and he cuts me off-"

"-is gone." He drummed his fingers on the table again, looking from one face to the next before returning his attention to Asami. "So, let's talk defense system. There are thirty thousand casualties, and the pillars were supposed to prevent that. Tell us what went wrong."

"Nothing. At least, nothing that wasn't expected."

"Miss Sato, if I'm expected to help, I need you to be detailed and use layman's terms," Keisai said pinching the bridge of his nose. "Work with me."

Asami scoffed. "I haven't said anything that was even remotely technical. In fact, I haven't said anything at all because you just got here. And I'm starting to wonder how you know all of this since Varrick called you  _today._ "

"I admit I'm not  _that_  good," the lawyer said, the mischief back in his eyes. "Varrick's had me on standby for…well, a while. How long has it been?"

Varrick shrugged. "Since the attack on the Sato Estate?"

"No, the invoices go back further."

"Since we caused that city-wide panic," Zhu Li said. "Experiment number 2501, I believe. Though when you wanted to hire a lawyer, I assumed you meant in the event the city chose to press charges on that."

Izumi massaged her temples. "Unbelievable. Mr. Sabad, this isn't the time for friendly conversation; as you said, thirty thousand lives were lost. Miss Sato, if you wouldn't mind continuing?"

"Of course." Asami cleared her throat. "The defense system we designed isn't faulty. In fact, it worked exactly as designed. When the energy came within range, the system kicked in and diverted it back into the Spirit World. However, what you and the rest of the world leaders most likely failed to realize was that a Spirit Bomb and a Spirit Beam are  _not_ the same thing. The beam is a directional weapon. Minimal collateral damage, and once it gets in range of a pillar, that's the end of it. A bomb, however, is omnidirectional. If it doesn't detonate right on top of a pillar there  _will_ be collateral damage. In this case, the goal is not to save every life, as morbid as that sounds."

"I can understand that," Izumi said. "But I'm afraid you're proving our point, Miss Sato. You're the mastermind behind the defense system, and you therefore know its limitations better than anyone else."

"I do," Asami said. "And its purpose is to limit casualties as much as possible. Considering the placement of the pillar that absorbed the explosion, I estimate that my defense system may have saved your entire city. Five million people. You wouldn't even be here, Fire Lord Izumi."

Izumi narrowed her eyes. "You've missed the point."

"I haven't. I'm simply stating a fact. More people, millions more,  _would_ have died. Today, they didn't."

"I love limited casualties as much as the next person," Keisai said, "but I don't like where this is going-"

"Miss Sato, you are responsible for this destruction," Izumi said. "Your engineer constructed the defense system itself, and Baatar pioneered spirit weapon technology. You and your team are the most likely culprits behind the attack. No one else would know the limitations of the defense system well enough to cause damages of this magnitude."

"Fire Lord Izumi," Keisai said, inclining his head. "Miss Sato and company were brought in by President Raiko because he thought he was misled. If you'll let me prove-"

"I  _was_  misled," Raiko said firmly. "We saw the demonstration, and the defense pillars did  _not_  work as they did outside of testing."

"I'm sorry," Keisai said, his voice sharp as he pulled a folder from his case and thumbed through it. "The defense pillars didn't work as they did outside of testing… how were they tested exactly?"

"I told you, I saw the demonstration," Raiko said. "Miss Sato fired a spirit blast and the defense pillars engaged, with virtually no damage-"

"What kind of blast?" the lawyer said, finding the page he had been searching for and laying the file flat on the table.

"A spirit blast! Like the ones responsible for the casualties!" Raiko exploded. "I was made to understand that there were limitations, but if this is the capacity of of the defense pillars, Miss Sato vastly overrated them, and that in itself is a criminal offense in a time like this.  _Especially_ if she had a hand in the attacks."

"I think my client was a bit more specific in her report regarding the limitations of her technology," Keisai said, jabbing a finger at the page. "Remember, she just explained to all of us that a spirit beam isn't the same as a spirit bomb. Which did she use in the demonstration, Mr. President?"

"In the demonstration? A beam, if I recall correctly," Raiko said, frowning. "But then we were misled to think that the pillars were safe to use! The damages caused by the spirit bombs were not displayed."

"Because you felt that part of the demonstration was irrelevant," Asami pointed out. "It was included in the report, but you only wanted to see the beam, since that's what took out most of downtown."

"Yes, the report," Keisai said. "Thank you, Miss Sato. Mr. President, I have with me a copy of the report Miss Sato sent you. If you look at the section I've highlighted, it's effectively what we all heard today-the bombs are omnidirectional. According to this alone, the pillars did their job."

"The report," Raiko said, bending over the file, "indicated an estimated one hundred thirty casualties for an area with a population density of fifteen thousand people per square mile. What of it? We already knew this."

"It's easier when you look at statistics," the lawyer said, his voice unnervingly quiet. "Do the math, Mr. President. If you look at the casualties per square mile post-attack, it come to one hundred fifty. You weren't misled."

"Yes," Asami said, relief in her voice. "Exactly-"

"You hear 'thirty thousand' and suddenly it looks like a gross underestimation," Keisai continued, raising his voice, "but it's not much higher than the projected numbers. The destruction of the capitol makes it all look a lot worse too, doesn't it?"

"Fine," Raiko said. "Even if the world leaders, myself and Fire Lord Izumi included, misunderstood how the spirit weapons operate, that's not enough to absolve these people of guilt. Even the Avatar is potentially an accessory to these crimes. A valid point was raised. It looks more and more like Miss Sato is behind the attacks."

Asami awkwardly held Korra back in her seat.

"You're right," Keisai said, "but the simultaneous bombing of Omashu, combined with what I have here, ought to be enough for you to drop your charges."

The room was silent. Korra's jaw dropped, Asami went pale, Baatar's eyes bulged in their sockets, and Kuvira's face went slack. Even Varrick looked profoundly affected.

"What?" Keisai said crossly. "You didn't know? Omashu was bombed. Literally simultaneously."

Izumi gravely nodded.

Lin poked her head in through the broken door. "It's been on the radio for about half an hour."

"Well, why didn't you say something earlier?!" said Korra.

"It's not my job to keep you people up to date on the world!" She pivoted back into the hallway. "I'm just the one guarding the hallway because  _someone_ is having trust issues with his security detail."

"So, no one here is well-informed," Keisai said, shaking his head and thumbing through a different file, carefully selecting the papers he needed. "Mr. President, I can tell this is a bit of shock to you-"

"Of course it's a shock!" sputtered Raiko. "The United Forces liberated Omashu not even a week ago! We had defense pillars in place!"

"And they worked," Lin called from the hall. "General Iroh isn't dead, he made the report himself."

Keisai cleared his throat. "Correct, Chief. That's not what I was going for, though. I hope you recognize that Future Industries and Varrick Industries International couldn't have had a hand in these acts of terror," he said, as if the outburst had never happened. "There is virtually zero Future Industries presence in the Earth Kingdom, outside of shipping facilities and personnel. Varrick Industries International was also forced to abandon the local factories after Varrick defected. I have copies of the records detailing the locations of employees and mech, if we actually take this thing to court. More telling is apprehension of a suspect in the bombing with no ties to either company. A third of the city is gone-"

"A  _third_?"Baatar exclaimed.

Asami stared off into space. "That's...over two hundred thousand people."

"Yes," Keisai said. "The damage to the Fire Nation pales in comparison. May I continue?"

Kuvira clenched her jaw. "All this, just after its liberation."

"I get that this is upsetting." the lawyer said. "But frankly, the longer you all spend processing each new bit of information I tell you does nothing. We're at the part that requires all of you alleged terrorists to be a bit selfish. I think it's clear who was behind this."

"The Red Lotus." Korra supplied. "It has to be them. You've called this a terrorist act at least three times, and they're the only organization with the manpower to pull this thing off."

"Thank you, Avatar Korra," the lawyer said, inclining his head. "Yes, I have very good reason to believe the Red Lotus is behind this. And it not only means the city, all major cities, really, are in danger, but... " He trailed off. "I think you see where this is going."

"Mr. Sabad, if we have to admit, right here and now, that this attack was orchestrated by the Red Lotus, we have to move forward with the knowledge that no one is safe," Raiko said. "They can, and will, strike at any time, in any place, and there is no way to stop them once a Spirit Bomb is armed. We would be entering an age of paranoia and fear. So for the time being, I believe we should consider that our worst case scenario, if you can prove it."

Keisai snapped his fingers. "Yes, the proof. For the past year, spirit vines have been disappearing from your city, Mr. President. You were able to apprehend the triads in the smuggling process. Did you ever follow up on the people responsible for the actual theft?"

"No, but my detectives did. And I assume you think you've found something they've missed?"

"Not assume," Keisai said evenly. "Never assume. There are three possibilities here. The first is that random criminals were responsible, and just wanted access to a few hundred yuans. We know that's impossible; the dangers associated make that much obvious. The second is that Earth Empire loyalists were behind this; but it was established early on that Kuvira's agents were more preoccupied with kidnapping Prince Wu, not devising smuggling routes. Your Chief of Police herself determined that lead to be a dead end."

"Because it  _was_ a dead end," said Lin, her voice echoing in through the hall.

He pulled another sheet of paper from his folder. "Kuvira had a report on the topic. Found it in the archives as soon as I was granted access, actually." He glanced at Kuvira sympathetically. "Evidently people found your report boring as mud, sweetheart."

"Stop calling me that."

Keisai shrugged, and Raiko waved for him to continue. "So your third alternative is the Red Lotus, then. How, exactly?"

"The triads were ignorant of what they were being used for, but that actually worked to our advantage," Keisai explained. "See, every higher-up was killed, but it's impossible to hide every person's background in an operation of this magnitude. I did a bit of investigating, and after my research into the criminal background of a few members I found the Red Lotus link I was looking for. Mr. President, you might recall that Zaheer had a shady history before he joined the organization. A significant number of apprehended members of the organization are former criminals. Here," he said, pointing to one of the papers. "There's your link, and I've had it for weeks. Who else could feasibly steal spirit vines  _and_  create weapons from them? No other organization has the capacity, or the leadership, or the motive. These people are the wrong targets for a legal battle."

Raiko gritted his teeth. "And I suppose you just found all this out today? That's very efficient, almost unbelievably so."

"As we established, I've been on retainer for Varrick for quite some time." He smiled. "I'm glad you appreciate my efficiency all the same. But the point is," Keisai said, jabbing the file at Raiko, "you don't have a case, Mr. President. And if you still don't think it's the Red Lotus-"

"No, I see your point," Raiko said. "No other organization has the logistical capability to launch a simultaneous attack like this. It's the Red Lotus, we have to accept that."

"I'm glad we agree," Keisai said. "And I'll be even more glad if you agree that handcuffed are now free to go. Fire Lord Izumi, with all due respect, I assume you also will be dropping the charges which puts this case in the hands of the national department of defense. It would, of course, be an honor to assist."

She nodded. "Duly noted. Thank you."

"If we're going to move forward from this, we have to take the fight to them," Raiko said decisively. "Go on the offensive. We need to stop assuming that snuffing out the Red Lotus is impossible. We need to stop these terrorists before they destroy anything else, or there won't be a world left to live in. I don't care what it takes. We're going to wipe them out, and destroy any and all knowledge of this weaponry. By any means necessary. We'll lie to the public, burn documents-we will  _not_ succumb to fear tactics."

"So, just to confirm," Keisai said, holding up a finger, "you're dropping charges, correct? I need that explicitly stated… in writing."

"Yes," Raiko said irritably. "Yes, Chief Beifong will handle that. Thank you."

"Excellent," Keisai said, smiling. He paused on his way to the door, regarding Artana curiously. "You know, I still don't know your name, and I just gave you the next best thing to an ironclad legal defense. Name's Keisai Sabad," he added, sticking out his hand. "And you are?"

"Artana Kuze. Thank you for the assistance," she said bluntly.

"Guess that's my cue to leave," Keisai said, returning the papers to his case. "Everyone, you're welcome. Varrick, we'll be in touch. It's been a pleasure." He shook hands with Raiko and Izumi before stepping through the giant tear in the door, the twinkle of mischief back in his eyes and all the composure of a man who had enjoyed himself.

Lin slipped into the room and began unlocking the handcuffs, starting with Baatar. "You know, I've worked with a lot of lawyers in my time." She moved on to Asami, skipping Kuvira entirely until she looped back around. "But Varrick couldn't have found a more perfect man for his legal representation."

Varrick grinned. "What was the first thing I said when he walked in the door? That he was  _the best._ Told you so."

"He loves the sound of his voice," Asami said, massaging her wrists. "But you're right about one thing; he's very good. I believe we're done with all of this, yes?" she asked, gesturing to the room in general, while everyone else was already leaving.

Korra shook her head. "I actually have something to talk to Raiko about."

Asami raised a brow. "You want to fill me in?"

Korra looked over at the broken door and whispered into Asami's ear. "...if that's all right, of course. I just think it's-"

Asami held out her palm in a placating gesture. "No, I understand the intent. If you think it's best then...well, then that's what you should do. She would certainly be more effective than I would be."

"That's not what I meant, Asami."

"I know. Just thinking out loud. I'm going to call for a car and meet you outside." She gave Fire Lord Izumi a short bow. "Fire Lord Izumi, good to see you again."

Izumi gave her a small nod. "You as well."

"Raiko. Thank you for wasting my time," grunted Asami, stomping out of the office.

 

* * *

 

 

Asami turned the corner outside of Raiko's office, and was immediately approached by Artana.

"Asami, may I speak with you for a moment?" she asked.

"Of course. What is it?"

"With everything that's happened today, I feel that there should be more research put into countering the Spirit Vines. I know as well as you do that the current defense system we have can't be improved upon in any meaningful way, so we have to expand."

Asami crossed her arms. "...in what way, exactly?"

"By eliminating the problem at its source. Making the spirit vines dormant. Non-reactive to electrical currents."

Asami sighed heavily. As helpful as that day in the swamp had been, it had also been just as equally discouraging. She'd dreaded having to go into detail on the matter, because it was, in her eyes, a total failure on her part. For the moment, at least. "I'm sorry, but making the vines dormant isn't feasible. I'm not even sure if it's possible, for the foreseeable future. The Spirit Vines bind this world and the Spirit World together, and severing that connection...there's no way to know what that could do to us. Those vines are one of the foundations of life itself."

"I understand that, but entering an era of fear and paranoia, where generation after generation will have to live with the knowledge that civilization could be destroyed at any given moment...don't you think that's worse? A living nightmare?"

"One could, and probably will, have catastrophic consequences to our very perception of reality. The other would be...the end of the world, or rather living in fear of that. The latter is a better alternative. We're not in a good position, I understand that, but at this point, our only real option is what Raiko suggested. We eradicate the Red Lotus and any and all knowledge of how Spirit Vines work."

Artana frowned. "You can't destroy knowledge once it exists. It's impossible."

Asami shrugged. "Artana, in the past five years, I have witnessed the impossible happen time and time again. Nothing is impossible. Not for me, not for you, not for anyone. At this point, it may as well be synonymous with 'impossible, for now'." She smiled sadly. "So, even if it is insane to attempt to prove one of the fundamental laws of human history wrong, by killing an idea, we still have to try. Even if we fail, we have to try."

Artana crossed her arms and nodded slowly. "Very well."

I appreciate you sharing your concerns, but the truth of the matter is that this is really our only option moving forward. Was there anything else?"

"No. That was all I needed."

 

* * *

 

 

"I have to admit," said Rako, reorganizing a few papers on his desk. "I didn't expect you to be so...amenable to this idea. Let alone to be the one to  _suggest_ it."

Korra crossed her arms. "Zaheer is the only real connection we have to the Red Lotus, and after what they did today..." She frowned intensely. "I'm done waiting to see what they're going to do next. He's involved, I just know it."

"I just don't see how this is feasible," said Izumi. "In the past several years, we attempted more extreme methods of interrogation-"

"You mean torture."

Raiko nodded. "Yes. Torture. On Zaheer, but he became catatonic the moment it started. Every single time. We believe he's escaping the ordeal by entering the Spirit World, but that's not something we can counteract."

Korra raised a brow. "...could his friends enter the Spirit World, too?"

"We didn't torture them when they were first in prison," said Izumi. "It was a...different time."

"You didn't want to set a bad example."

"That must have been the idea," grumbled Raiko. "Korra, if you can find some way to block him from going to the Spirit World, you can leave the rest to us."

"Don't worry, I'll find a way. This isn't something I'm gonna hesitate about."

"Good. And good luck."

"Thanks. Sorry about your door."

"...could you...?"

"Mmmm, no. I said I was sorry, not filled with regret." She tapped her chin. "Oh, and one last thing." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm taking Kuvira with me."

"As insurance."

"Something like that."

 

* * *

 

 

Opal sighed and looked at her wedding ring. "I know this is probably one of the most self-absorbed things to say right now, but..." She leaned back in their booth at Narook's pouted. "It's just not fair that the day he proposes is the  _same_ day of the single worst terrorist attacks in history! That's it! There it is! I said it! Now, every single time this date rolls around, if I want to celebrate it, it has to be somber and respectful of the dead. Instead of being about  _us._ " She said gesturing between her and Bolin.

Bolin frowned. "And not only that, but Varrick already pre-paid for the wedding. Two years ago."

Asami raised a brow. "What? How could he have known that you'd  _finally_ propose now?"

"He didn't. He just booked the band, the caterer, and everything else every three weeks. Just in case."

Korra snorted. "Wow. That's both crazy and generous."

"Tell me about it," said Opal. "It gives us barely enough time to even prepare on our own! Two weeks notice for friends and family is a bit...well, inconsiderate."

"Didn't Varrick pull a wedding out of thin air in, what, three days?" said Mako.

Asami nodded. "Three days exactly."

Bolin smiled. "See? Nothing to worry about. Everybody made it there in time, and I should know since I officiated. Well, me and Pabu."

Opal raised a brow. "Which was only possible because half the world was coming in town  _already_ to help with relief efforts, remember?"

"Riiiight. That's a good point. I'm sure everyone will manage okay, though."

Korra drummed her fingers on the table. "Speaking of friends and family, who's going to officiate  _your_ wedding?"

"Can it please not be Varrick?" asked Asami. "He's not  _that_ bad, but this is your wedding we're talking about. You only get shot at making it great. Typically."

Bolin raised a brow. "You really thought I'd give him that honor? We're good friends, but we're not  _brothers."_ He gestured to Mako. "Y'know, because  _we're_  brothers-"

Mako smiled, wide as can be. "I got it, Bo. You asked me this morning, remember?"

"Yeah, but Korra and Asami didn't know that, and you're obviously going to be my best man. And also officiate it. And lots of other jobs-Mako, honestly, that job is not easy. I had to do like a thousand things."

"I think I'll manage."

 

* * *

 

 

Zaheer sat in a lotus, his raggedy grey robe feeling out of place within the bright and lively green and purples of that particular area of the Spirit World. But, it wasn't as if he could get better clothing. As free as he was when not bound to his body, he was still bound in platinum chains. Hundreds of feet underground. But that was all right. He'd been rewarded for his patience once before. He could wait, if it was necessary.

A hooded figure materialized in front of him.

"You can take off the cloak. It's redundant."

"It's not. The Spirit World is more accessible than ever. Anyone could be watching."

"Very well." Zaheer sighed. "Any news?"

"She's coming. I trust I don't need to remind you of your role in this?"

Zaheer sat up straighter. "No." He smirked. "I remember it perfectly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many of you thought I'd kill off Naga. Or Korra, or Asami. Y'all are weird. That would have made zero narrative sense. Still though, I tried to pull a "Kuvira's Gambit" and it worked. Hah!
> 
> Keisai Sabad, the lawyer, is the property of iviscrit, the author of "Ironclad", which I suggest you all read. It's really quite good, and if you don't believe me, ivisicrit wrote about half of this chapter. Basically the entire lawyer scene in Raiko's office. And you probably didn't even notice a change in style, because she's just that good! You can also blame her for this chapter taking so long to finish, as she was on vacation when I required her assistance. S'okay, though I forgive her.
> 
> Varrick having several phone lines is an idea I lovingly lifted, which makes it an homage/reference, from, you guessed it, Icarus and the Sea. Well, more specifically, the one-shot where invents the internet so he can send Zhu Li pictures of things from across the globe.
> 
> Surprise! Eegahisms, or doctoreegah on Ao3 (I think?), is actually drawing a comic of that one part in Chapter 9 where Asami loses her shit and threatens to put Korra back in a wheelchair! :D http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/122294237146/eegahisms-volatile-chapter-9-repairs It looks awesome. Check it out!
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. No matter how scathing, random, loud, enraged, rambling, or gushy your thoughts may be, I wanna hear 'em.


	20. Boiling Point, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaping headfirst into the fire was never the best idea, but in this case, there weren't any other options.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by thejmpr and beech27. Consulting work by iviscrit.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Ten Months, Two Weeks after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Summer, 175 A.G._

"Blocking someone from entering the Spirit World," mused Kuvira. "Is that even possible?"

Korra rested her head on her hand, leaning back in their speedboat as it raced along the narrow river, the mountainside flashing by beside them. "I don't know." She rubbed her eyes with her palm and stared straight ahead. "Maybe. I don't want it to come to that."

Kuvira put the boat into a slight turn, following the path of the river. The water splashed against the bow, barely skimming the surface as it sped along. "It most likely will, and you must have some ideas. Otherwise, you wouldn't be attempting this at all."

"I know, and I do. It's just one of those things that shouldn't be done. Like taking someone's bending away."

"...or an airbender suffocating a woman with the air from her own lungs?"

Korra scowled.

"I was referring to the Earth Queen."

"Oh. Right, okay. Yeah, exactly like that, then."

"Zaheer has very little left to fear. If you intend to break him, show him just how far you're willing to go. Show him you're willing to go further than he can comprehend."

Korra rubbed her arm. "He can...comprehend a lot. I had more metal in me than I had blood, you know."

Kuvira stiffened. "That should have killed you."

"He said the same thing." Korra looked up and spotted the rough outline of the massive temple door in the distance. "All right, that's it up there. Remember, you're here to make sure he doesn't get into my head. He's got a nasty habit of doing that to people, me especially. So if I start to act funny, or lose focus, you beat him half to death. That should set me straight."

"I don't think it's possible for me to have forgotten that. Don't worry, Avatar. There is no single person I hate more than him."

Korra looked out over the boat and stared into the reflection of the full moon. "Yeah." She looked up at the sky, the wind billowing through her hair. "Same."

 

* * *

 

 

The temple was old. Ancient. Kuvira had no idea who had built it, or for what purpose, but it was most certainly not the White Lotus. They eyed her suspiciously as she walked through the massive doors behind Korra, and she elected to ignore them entirely.

The green crystals reminded her of the catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se, and she idly wondered if they had been transported there, or if they were naturally occurring in the western part of the continent. Still, despite the nostalgia they brought, she felt a sense of unease. She'd trapped over a dozen Dai Li agents in those catacombs, years ago. And with the Dai Li, things were never as they appeared.

The moment Kuvira stepped into the elevator she felt blind. Pure platinum.

The doors closed in front of them, and she noticed Korra's breathing becoming more controlled. Overcompensating for the anxiety she must have been feeling. Not that she could blame her for that. Even bound in chains, Zaheer was not to be underestimated.

Though, she noted, it would be interesting to truly confirm that he was indeed capable of flight.

"He's gonna be in chains," said Korra. "Wrists, ankles, waist. Platinum, all bolted to a large, round metal plate on the floor."

"Which is also platinum."

"Exactly. He's not immobile, though. He has some range of movement, but not enough to do that much." She gave her a sidelong glance. "No matter what happens,  _do not_ hit the chains. Knowing him, he'd find a way to escape if we make the smallest of mistakes. If we even  _breath_ wrong he could---"

"Korra," Kuvira said sternly. "Focus on what you came here to do. He's powerful, but he's barely relevant anymore. He's just a man, and he will never be more than that."

Korra blinked and shook out her head. "Just...don't take your eyes off of him. Not even for a moment."

The doors slid open and they stepped outside, the feel of earth underfoot returning to her. There was a second platinum door in front of them. Odd. Another elevator?

The White Lotus grounded their feet and began metalbending the chains, which lifted the unbendable door with a steady creak. It locked into place with a loud thunk.

"Approach the wall," ordered one of the sentries.

Kuvira looked to Korra, who nodded in consent. They did as they were told, and the door was soon sealed behind them. Ah. A security gate. The wall in front of them began to rise, and more green light flowed in through the ever growing crack. As soon as it rose past her eyes, she saw him.

Floating in mediation, his hair long and unkempt. He was at peace. At peace in  _prison._ She clenched her hands into fists, trying to make sense of it. Her own time in prison had been anything but peaceful.

"I had a feeling I'd see you again," said Zaheer, neglecting to open his eyes. He tilted his head. "But not her. Never her."

Korra frowned and stepped forward. "Well, then surprise. Now, listen up, because here's how this is going to go. We're going to ask you some questions. Then, you're going to answer them."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't think you understand the situation. You're at the end of your rope." He opened his eyes. "The Red Lotus beat you, and you're backed into a corner with nowhere else to go. This conversation is on my terms, because I have something you want."

Korra grunted. "No, it's on  _my_ terms," she said, pointing to the ground. "You do have something we want. Information about your friends. What they're planning, where they are, how many of you there are out there."

"Dozens have tried and failed before you, Avatar Korra. You can't win. No matter how much pain you cause my physical body, my spirit remains free and untethered."

Korra took a few steps closer to him. "Yeah, I know that. And I know why they failed; it's exactly why I won't."

"And why is that?"

"Because I can block you from entering the Spirit World."

Silence rang in the air as Zaheer stared down at her, blankly. Then, he erupted into a burst of laughter, which Korra responded to with a half-hearted scowl. Angry and embarrassed, a dangerous combination. Kuvira had seen what could happen when the avatar was provoked enough firsthand.

Zaheer scoffed. "Really? That's the best you could do? Avatar Korra, we both know that, even if such a thing were possible, you'd never inflict that kind of harm to a person. You've had your bending taken away. How is this any different?"

Korra jabbed a finger at him. "Because---well, you deserve it! You and your friends just wiped out 230,000 people like it was  _nothing._ I can't let you get away with that. Someone has to pay, and you're here, so it may as well be you."

"Maybe so, but then if you did do what I think you're planning to do, you'd be no better than Amon, or myself."

"I…" Korra bristled. "You have no idea what I'm planning."

Kuvira frowned and circled around to his back, slowly extending her cables into her hands.

"Does it matter? You're uncertain. You don't know if you can go through with---"

Kuvira jerked her head to the side in a sharp gesture. "Korra. Focus."

Korra gave her a small nod and crossed her arms. "You know what? You're right. It doesn't matter. None of it matters. Know why? Because  _you_ are the exception for so many of my own rules, Zaheer. I'd kill you if I could, but that would only come back to bite me. I'd be seen as judge, jury and executioner. Mad with power. But I'm not gonna do that for another reason; it's too good for you. It really is. You deserve so much worse, so here's what I'm going to do to you, if you don't start talking." She cracked her knuckles.

Zaheer sneered. "Break every bone in my body? I already told you that won't work."

Kuvira wordlessly extended the cables, wrapping them around his chest and shoulders before jerking him to the ground. "Korra, get to the point."

Korra nodded. "You're right, this is a waste of time. Zaheer, do you know what kind of night it is?" she said, yanking his hair so he looked at her. "It's a  _full moon."_

Zaheer blinked. "You're bluffing. You're not a bloodbender."

"I'm a healer. I  _know_ how the body works, and bloodbending, on principle, isn't difficult. Blood is mostly water. An open wound is no more straining than a mud puddle. The hard part is controlling it when it's inside someone. When it's flowing. And I have no intention of doing that today."

Kuvira tightened the cables.

"I don't need to. Not to break you." Korra frowned. "I'm going to destroy your seventh chakra." She pulled him in so that they were nose to nose. "Yeah. I'm going to  _rip out your inner peace_ and make it impossible for you to ever achieve it again. You will be unable to fly. You will be stuck here, in the material world, and even if you leave right now, because you think that I can't drag your spirit back here to finish the job; think again." Her eyes burned white. "I  _can._ And I  _will._ "

Zaheer stared at her for a long moment. "You won't."

"No matter how sure you are of that…" Her eyes returned to normal. "Is it really worth the risk?"

They stared one another down for what seemed like an eternity. Two immovable objects, refusing to back down. Looking into the void and refusing to blink. That is, until one did.

"No." Zaheer closed his eyes and sighed. "The Boiling Rock."

Kuvira frowned, loosening her grip. "Elaborate."

Zaheer coughed. "That's our base of operations. It has been since the very beginning."

Korra narrowed her eyes and grabbed his chin. "Keep talking."

 

* * *

 

 

Asami rolled her shoulders. The airburst suit was a bit heavier than she'd imagined it would be, but not overly so. The miniaturized turbofan hung on her back as she adjusted to the weight and feel of the suit. It was almost perfectly balanced, though the extra bulk would take some getting used to.

Baatar slotted the last plate of body armor on to her chest, locking it in place. "Hopefully we can cut down on the weight for the production model, but this should give us a good baseline. Does everything feel in order?"

Asami turned her neck from left to right, surveying her bombed out test track, which had been since been repurposed for weapons testing. She touched her toes and stretched from side to side. "Minimal limitation of movement, but with your alterations that was expected." She twisted her waist. "It's nothing I can't adapt to. I think we're good to start testing."

Baatar nodded and jogged over to the mover camera, which Zhu Li was already operating. "All right. Zhu Li?"

Zhu Li nodded.

Asami cleared her throat. "Day 1, test number 1-01 of configuration 2.5, Future Industries prototype designation M-233 'Penshe'." She walked over to the edge of the flat grid testing area. "For the control test, I'm going to sprint one hundred feet." Asami took a small breath and sprinted to the other side of the grid, skidding to a slightly awkward stop due to the weight of the suit.

"That's about 30 feet per second!" called out Baatar. He scribbled in his notebook. "Let's start off with 10% thrust capacity."

Asami nodded and locked the suit at 10% using the gauge on her forearm. "Locked. Engaging in three, two, one---" She took off in a sprint and felt the turbofan kick in almost immediately, propelling her forward along with the air thrusters placed along the suit. She overshot the edge of the grid slowed to a stop. "Woah."

"40 feet per second."

Asami raised a brow and flexed her hands. Just as she'd hoped, the suit had very intuitive controls, though one did need an extreme amount of control over their own body in order to operate it properly. "I could easily handle more." She bounced on the balls of her feet and jabbed in front of her a few times, her strikes hitting just a bit faster than usual. She spun and kicked the air, and it was nearly effortless.

"20%, then?"

Asami disengaged the safeties. "I had something a little more exciting in mind."

Baatar looked between her and the rather elaborate obstacle course. It, apparently, was based on the type the Earth Empire had used to train their elite metalbenders, crossed with some of her father's old Equalist training camps and even a few ancient airbender regimens. Combined, it was something else entirely. Absurdly high walls, platforms at every angle imaginable, a 'live fire' area designed for range, and several steel walls one was supposed to bend through.

"Asami, we still have dozens more tests to run before---"

"I'm aware." Asami walked over to the weapons table beside them and pulled on her harness. Two electrified blades, which doubled as fans. "We need this deployed as soon as possible. The Red Lotus aren't going to give us a chance to consolidate or prepare." She drew both blades, expanding one into a fan. They crackled with lightning. "They think we're running scared, and I want to be ready when we show them we're not."

 

* * *

 

 

Kuvira was silent until the checkpoint door sealed behind them. It had been easy. Far too easy, and surely Korra knew that. The Red Lotus  _didn't_ break. It was almost an absolute. Exceptions were possible, but Zaheer? Impossible.

"We're being lead into a trap."

Korra scowled at the floor. "Yeah, I figured that out. Doesn't matter, though. An ambush can work both ways. They hit us, we hit them harder. We wipe them out."

Kuvira nodded. She didn't doubt that the Avatar was capable of performing such a reversal, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if that was best course of action. Wiping out their opposition would leave zero subjects for interrogation, and leave zero leads to other Red Lotus bases. Then again, with the Avatar, anything was possible. For better or worse.

"Is Zaheer your only exception?" asked Kuvira.

"To what?"

"Your rules." The ruthlessness Korra had displayed seemed at odds with the Avatar's philosophy in general.

"Yes. What I was willing to do…" She balled her hands into fists. "Just him."

"And if we capture the base commander?"

"Was hoping you'd take care of that."

Kuvira raised a brow and tilted her head. "You'll need to get authorization from Raiko. This is already outside my jurisdiction."

"Trust me. That won't be a problem."

 

* * *

 

 

Mako scanned the growing crowd of the press conference from his position below the stage. Thousands of reporters and civilians alike had gathered outside City Hall, and due to the recent bombings, security needed to quite a bit tighter. Every major news publication had shown up, even those from the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes.

Raiko adjusted his glasses and leaned over the podium. "...which is why I, with great regret, must suspend any and all plans to integrate Jingdao into the United Republic due to these recent attacks. I'm confident that, once this Red Lotus threat is vanquished once and for all, we can return to these talks, but until such a time is upon us, I cannot in good conscience allow a mass migration of individuals on what amounts to the honor system."

A few hundred flashbulbs exploded at once, and the crowd erupted into a chaos of questions and desperate pleas. "Please leave all questions until the end of the conference!" he shouted. It didn't help, but it was protocol.

"However, I can report that we are doing everything we can to snuff out these terrorists so we can bring them to justice for these atrocities. The United Republic is working closely with the Fire Nation, as well as Avatar Korra, on this matter, and we will not rest until the world is safe..."

Mako blinked a few times as the flashbulbs kept going off. And didn't stop. They just kept popping, but if he did his math right, that wasn't possible. There were only so many cameras in the crowd, and even less close enough to actually affect his vision. So they couldn't be getting good exposure, which meant that they were either terrible photographers or---

It was a distraction.

Mako frantically searched the crowd for some sort of disturbance, shielding his eyes with this forearm. He locked eyes...Two Toed Ping?! He was covered in flop sweat and shaking, eyes pleading. As he waded his way through the crowd, Mako saw, for a split second, a purple glow around his collar.

"Bomb!" he yelled, sprinting into the crowd. They scattered in a panic, thousands of feet scrambling away from the conference at once. The other officers dragged and practically threw Raiko into a satomobile, which screeched off down the street to relative safety. Mako managed to grab hold of Ping who was standing in the center of a pile of spent flashbulbs.

Ping pushed Mako away and held up his hands. "This wasn't my idea! Mako, you gotta believe me, they took me off the street into some alley and put this thing on me!" He pointed to a few odd bulges on his jacket. "Listen, you gotta run. Get outta here! Get everyone outta here!"

"Ping, I can't do that. Calm down and hand over the bomb."

"Believe me, would if I could, it's  _really_ heavy, but they bolted this damn thing to me!"

Mako's eyes widened. "Show me."

"Uh, Mako, remember how---"

"Now!"

Ping quickly unbuttoned his jacket and chuckled anxiously. Rigged onto him was some sort of mechanical vest, wires splaying out in every direction, and a glowing purple cylinder over his right breast. And it was padlocked to him. "See? No dice!"

"Stay calm. And don't move. I need to see what kind of bomb this is." Mako quickly followed the wiring with his hands, sticking his arms into the jacket. Latch, latch, dummy wiring, redundancy...transmitter! He snapped it off and tossed it on to the street. "Okay, they had this rigged with a radio detonator, but they can't use that now." He turned around and waved his hand through the air. "I need a metalbender!"

Lin landed next to him not a moment later and bent down over the vest. "Platinum padlock, broken tumblers." She gestured to the rest of Ping. "The whole damn thing is platinum. It's already glowing, so---"

Mako flicked his fingers into a blowtorch. "Not enough time to get the proper tools. I can cut through this." He started on the first lock, focusing his chi on a single point to burn as hot as he could. "Nearest defense pillar?"

"Intersection, two blocks south. Just hand it off and we'll get this done."

The first lock clattered to the ground and Mako moved on to the second. "Ping, talk to me."

"About what?" sputtered Ping.

"Anything, just talk."

Ping twitched and hissed. "Well, that fire you're bending is  _really_ damn hot so how 'bout we keep the casual conversation to a minimum until you're done saving the city?"

The second lock snapped off and Mako carefully removed the bomb from the vest. It hummed louder and glowed brighter. "Uh huh."

 

* * *

 

 

Lin snatched the bomb up out of Mako's hands and fastened it to her belt. "Stay down." She shot her cables into the sides of the buildings on either side of the street and launched herself forward. She retracted one line, twisted, and slung it around the pillar as an anchor point. She swept up to the roof of the building it was on, rolled into a landing, and fluidly metalbent part of her armor to secure the bomb to the pillar.

She turned around, moving to leap off of the building, and the bomb exploded behind her, sending her flying back towards the courtyard, the heat of the blast burning her armor into her skin. She shielded her eyes from the blinding purple light, shot her cables into the stone and yanked herself back to the earth. She hit the ground hard, her body slamming straight into the concrete.

"Lin!" yelled Mako, sprinting over to her. He slid to a stop and bent down beside her. "Are you okay?" He extended his hand.

Lin swatted his hand away and frantically metalbent her smoking armor off. It clattered and hissed onto the street. "I'm fine. Just burned and bruised." She leaned back on her haunches, taking a few deep breaths as the burns painfully made their mark on her skin, and looked up to the sky.

A green flare, and below it a minorly scorched four-way intersection.

Lin sighed and used Mako to help herself up. "Nice job, kid. Would've been a real shame if I had to tie that triad moron to the pillar with the bomb." She raised a brow and looked around. "...where is he, anyway?"

"Threw him in the back of a paddy wagon. He should be down at the station by now." He looked over her shoulder. "...those look pretty bad. We should get you to a hospital."

Lin scoffed. "I told you, I'm fine. We've got medics back at headquarters."

"But---"

"Medic. Headquarters. Now." She furrowed her brow. "A paddy wagon? Everyone should have been evacuated."

Mako shrugged. "They were, except that one---" He paled. "Oh no."

Lin growled. "Damnit! Which way did it---"

A fiery explosion a few blocks away tore through the air, and smoke rose from behind the buildings and entrenched vines. Lin pushed aside her pain and took off from Mako, sprinting down the street, shoving her way through the gathering crowd with a strained stumble, and into the scorched alleyway.

The police car was torn to pieces. The roof was wedged into the alley wall, glass shards all over, and bits of heated metal sizzled on the concrete. Rubber melted and a tire rolled its way toward her and the growing crowd of looky loos.

Mako sprinted up behind her and waved his arm in front of him, clearing some of the smoke and smog. He coughed and looked around at the gathering of people. "I'll put out the fire; you section this off."

Lin nodded and raised a tall divider wall from the concrete to shield the public eye from the crime scene. She winced as she felt the skin on her shoulder blades burn. Maybe she was hurt a little worse than she'd thought. Maybe. Probably not.

Mako went to work on putting out the fire, bending the flames up and out of the alleyway and into the sky. He cleared the smoke, transferring the heat with controlled circular motions, in much the same manner. "I think I see a body in there."

"Drag it out."

Mako crouched into the mangled remains of the cruiser, ducking below and around jagged hot metal. He emerged shortly after, dragging a lifeless body by the legs out the wreckage. He tore off the corpse's boots and counted the toes. Twelve. "It's Ping." He pinched his brow. "He probably knew something! Chief, I swear this will never happen again."

Lin stomped over to Ping's body and bent down beside the head. "Save it. No way you could have predicted this." She gestured to the front of the car. "Check the driver's seat. Looks like it crashed before it exploded."

Mako nodded and jogged up to the front.

Lin inspected Ping closer and smelled something...odd. Distinct. It was something she'd used a thousand times before, but couldn't quite place it. "...spider-rat poison?" she mumbled. She poked his cheek and drool slipped out of his lips---wait, not drool. Foam. "Mako! I don't think Ping died in the crash, or the explosion."

Mako walked back to her. "Nothing in the front. Well, what's left of it." He raised a brow. "What are you getting at?"

She pointed to the leaking foam. "Spider-rat poison. Either killed himself, because he was in on it, but that doesn't add up since he let us disarm the bomb…"

"Or he had a handler who took him out, using the police car as a cover."

Lin slowly rose to her feet and winced. "You remember anything about the driver?"

Mako nodded. "Yeah, actually. He looked kinda familiar."

"...and you thought he was a cop." She massaged her temples. "Any clue as to---"

Mako snapped his fingers. "Lee!"

"That doesn't help us. There are a million Lees."

"Right, but there's only  _one_ that works for the White Lotus on Air Temple Island."

 

* * *

 

 

Asami surged forward, expanding both blades into fans and blocking the flamethrowers on her flanks. She pivoted and sliced one in half, the frayed wiring sparking, and bursted into the second, diverting the flames with her fan, cutting off its power supply.

She checked the gauge as she moved on to the next part of the course. "50% capacity!" she yelled back to Baatar, bursting up and over a two-story wall and cutting a series of suspended steel pillars to pieces before hitting the ground. Pillars that were meant to be bent, of course.

" _Don't go any higher,"_ he replied over the intercom. " _I don't want to burn out the prototype on the first test run."_

Asami frowned, but knew he was right. It was  _exhilarating_ to be able to move so quickly, and so freely, but she did feel the pressure and strain on her body slowly build the further she pushed toward her natural limits. That, and she didn't want the to set herself on fire. She engaged the thruster locks and spun below a bolt of lightning, tossing her sword like a javelin into the power core of the unmanned Varrimech. It sputtered and fell on to its back with a hail of sparks.

Asami jumped on to its fallen chassis with a loud thump and pulled her blade from its chest. "I can feel it. Already have a few ideas on how to fix that, but for now I think it's time for a break." She sheathed her swords onto her back and turned off the turbofan. "And review the footage. Feels like the left side is overcompensating a little…" She slowed her breathing and jogged back over to the starting area, carefully stepping over broken machinery and piles of shredded metal along the way.

" _It is,"_ said Zhu Li, the telephone ringing in the background.

"That should be an easy adjustment."

" _Asami, Mako just called. They need you back at the island."_

Asami's eyes widened and she sprinted the rest of the way. She skidded to a stop, no longer losing her balance, and looked between Baatar and Zhu Li. "What? What happened?"

Baatar frowned. "Someone just tried to spirit bomb Raiko's press conference."

 

* * *

 

 

Artana slid open her door as she heard the procession of loud metal boots marching through the halls of the temple. She watched a scowling Chief Beifong, Mako and several other officers pass by her room in a rush, and out into to the grounds.

And they were dragging Lee, that incompetent man from the White Lotus, with them.

Her interest piqued, she followed behind them, genuinely confused as to why they'd need such a sizeable force. They didn't seem to care about her presence, though, so whatever was happening, she'd get to find out.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Chief Beifong looked over her shoulder. "This moron just tried to bomb Raiko's press conference. Allegedly."

Lee scoffed. "You people are crazy! I've been here all day!"

Artana narrowed her eyes at him. "...no. No, you haven't. We were supposed to play Pai Sho this morning, and you weren't here."

Mako raised a brow. "Can any of the other members of the White Lotus corroborate that?"

"I asked them to begin with."

Lee struggled in his cuffs. "Whatever happened to covering for friends!?"

Artana frowned. "We are not friends." She swallowed. "You said bombed, correct? Did you mean---"

Chief Beifong rolled her eyes and shoved Lee forward. "Ever try listening to the radio, Artana? Yes. Spirit bombed. Rigged some poor triad goon with a vest, then killed him when the bomb didn't go off."

"You're saying he's Red Lotus."

"It fits their profile."

" _Him?_  But he's incompetent and clumsy and---" Artana raised her brows. "Foaming at the mouth."

Chief Beifong turned to see Lee in the middle of a seizure, his body contorting and shuddering wildly as white foam flowed out of his open mouth. He struggled violently and fell to the ground, spasming for a few moments before stilling entirely.

Mako knelt down to check his pulse. "Dead. And from the smell of it…" He wafted. "Same stuff as last time."

Artana pursed her lips. "Spider-rat poison."

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

Her shoulders slacked. "Kuvira issued small capsules of them to high security personnel, and during development of the Colossus, I was one of them. If ever we were to be captured by the enemy, we were ordered to bite down on them."

"Suicide." Chief Beifong's face twitched and her face blazed red in anger. "I hate terrorists."

 

* * *

 

 

Korra peeked out of the island tower window and watched Tenzin yell his head off at the Grand Lotus. She really couldn't blame him. In fact, if she wasn't otherwise preoccupied, she'd join him. How could they have been so careless to allow a member of the Red Lotus  _that_  close to the Air Nation?!

She set her jaw and closed the blinds. If she thought about it anymore, she'd punch the wall open and beat that moron up for his crap. With a water whip. For three hours.

Maybe more.

"Avatar Korra?" said Raiko. "If you wouldn't mind?"

"Hm? Sure." Korra turned back to the meeting and walked up to the large table. Maps and blueprints of the Boiling Rock were strewn across it, along with documents detailing probable troop numbers and defense emplacements. "Maybe we should start without Mako."

Kuvira shook her head. "A bad decision. You risk miscommunication and confusion when you summarize proceedings to newcomers. Wait for him; everyone needs to be on the same page."

"That's a little extreme."

Bolin shrugged. "Better safe than sorry."

Opal raised a brow. "Yes, there's that, and also the fact that if we  _don't_ come back alive---"

"We will," interjected Korra.

"---then everyone will have come in town for nothing."

Asami pinched the bridge of her nose. "I am  _so_ sorry, Opal. Your wedding just seems like it's clouded in misfortune."

"Hopefully that means we won't have to deal with too much of that after we're married."

"I'm sure it does."

Mako opened the hatch in the floor and climbed up into the room. "Hey, sorry that took so long." He shut the hatch. "Lin really doesn't like hospitals."

Korra frowned. "Are her burns that bad? Like your arm?"

Mako shook his head. "Nah, not  _nearly_ that bad. If she'd waited too long, yeah, there'd be some permanent damage, but we dragged her there in time."

Bolin patted him on the back. "That's our newest savior of the city for ya!" He grinned at Raiko. "Hey, doesn't this remind you of---"

Raiko sighed. "Yes. You both saved my life. Thank you."

"That's all I wanted."

Mako raised a brow. "I was just doing my job, Bo."

"Since when is dealing with crazy bombs part of your job description?!"

"Since...six months ago?" he wondered aloud, looking to Asami.

"Around that long, yes. At least, that's when we printed those training manuals…"

Korra clapped her hands together. "Guys! Sorta big news!"

Kuvira cleared her throat. "I accompanied the Avatar on her visit to Zaheer's prison cell. To our surprise, the interrogation proved fruitful." Her eyes narrowed, and she folded her hands behind her back. "The Red Lotus is operating out of a long defunct maximum security prison. The Boiling Rock."

The room was silent.

Asami raised a brow. "...this is clearly a trap."

"We're aware. As Korra pointed out after the interrogation, an ambush can be subverted. If they strike, we counterattack and overwhelm them."

"But what if there's nothing there to begin with? If he was just lying?" asked Mako.

Kuvira smiled tightly. "Then we'll have lost nothing of value."

"We?"

"Kuvira is going with you," said Raiko. "She has years of experience in this kind of warfare, and it would be a mistake to exclude her due to personal bias."

Asami crossed her arms. "Fine, but that doesn't mean we can take on an entire base on our own. We're capable, but we're not…" She gestured to Korra. "Six of Korra. Not even two!"

"Which is why you'll be joining an assault team that's already being mobilized, as opposed to this being a clandestine operation of your own creation." He pointed to the Boiling Rock on the map. "Commander Gisei of the United Forces will be leading an airborne assault comprised of three Satohawks." He tapped Republic City. "The first will be comprised of the six of you, attacking from the east."

Kuvira traced her finger from the most north eastern part of the United Republic to the Boiling Rock. "Commander Gisei's unit will be approaching from the northeast…." She moved over to the Fire Nation capital. "And a Special Forces unit from the Fire Nation will be joining us from the southwest. We'll hit them on three fronts. The boiling lake in the volcano's basin gives enough natural cover with the steam, so visibility will be poor. Preparation is key for this mission to succeed."

Korra cracked her knuckles and scowled. "When do we start?"

 

* * *

 

 

Asami checked her suit gauge and made her way to the front of the Satohawk, slipping into the gaps between the others. It made her uneasy being in an aircraft that she wasn't piloting, especially since she designed it. She looked out over the pilot's seat at the sea below, which was deceptively calm.

While she was thankful to be able to properly field test the suit personally, the closer they got to their destination, the more anxious she felt. She'd never been on an  _actual_ military operation before. Small scale skirmishes, yes. Even some organized resistance. But never to the level to which she was currently in. Kuvira and Bolin were well versed in it, however. Even Opal was, to some degree.

The rest of them were a little out of loop, but Bolin had assured them that they'd adapt just fine on the ride over. Multiple times. Probably his way of coping.

"Should be approaching visual range soon, miss," said the pilot.

Asami nodded. She checked her gauge again, probably for the tenth time inside the hour, and sighed. Everything was working. And why shouldn't it? She never settled for less than perfection. Even the fully militarized Satohawk that she was riding in was...frustratingly flawless.

Asami wiped her forehead and stared at the wall. It still sickened her. She made the weapons platform, even if she didn't personally make the weapons. The fan-blades, though, those she could stomach. Because those were for her, and she knew exactly where and when they'd be used.

"Hey," said Korra, putting a hand on her shoulder. "For what it's worth, I am pretty curious to see what that suit can do. Even if it's not under great circumstances."

Asami snorted. "It's why I'm even here. There's no way I could keep up without it, and no, don't try and assure me otherwise." She shrugged. "I know what my limits are."

Korra gave her a crooked grin. "Still not convinced you have any."

"Boiling Rock in visual range!" said the pilot. "Two minutes out!"

Asami looked through the canopy and caught sight of the other two Satohawks in the distance, all heading towards the rising pillar of impenetrable steam. "...say that again, once this is over," she whispered.

She held her breath as they approached. Closer and closer. The blindness was new to her. How were they supposed to defend themselves if they couldn't even see who they were fighting? When they came upon the edge of the volcano, her heart rate jumped.

They flew in easily enough, all of them silent. As if that would prevent the Red Lotus from finding them in the fog. They would. Even if it was impossible, they'd find a way. And then they cleared the thickest of it, and could finally make out the compound before them.

It was enormously expanded upon from the original schematics. An airstrip extended out into the boiling lake, and she could just make out tiny pilots mobilizing a squadron of biplanes. Anti-air lightning cannons were placed along the edges of the base, split between their three targets.

Flares shot into the sky. They'd been spotted.

Bolin's eyes bulged in their sockets. "Please tell me we have a plan for this."

"Shut off everything electrical! Twenty seconds!" said the pilot.

Asami blinked and immediately understood. She switched everything off, systematically and carefully, and looked out the window. Radios were off, and the military variants of the Satohawk  _should_ be immune…

The biplane squadron screamed through the air, swarming around all three Satohawks, slinging lightning and metal blades in rapid succession. The cannons shot long beams of lightning as well, peppering the air space with bright blue static. They banked from side to side, narrowly avoiding the barrage as it flew past them and into the fog beyond.

To the north east, she saw the command Satohawk begin to smoke. It took three direct hits to its belly and was rammed head on by a biplane, sending it hurtling it downward into the boiling lake in a smoldering mess of metal. She thought she could make out a few soldiers bailing out, but it didn't matter. They'd be boiled alive.

"Command Satohawk is down! Engaging electromagnetic pulse!" yelled the pilot.

"But we're---" said Mako.

Asami hushed him.

And then, just like that, the anti-air defenses stopped firing and the biplanes flew stopped attacking. They couldn't. Their weapons needed power.

Asami turned everything back on and took a deep breath. Almost there. Just a little more.

"All right, we're in the clear," said the pilot. Green light filled the cabin. "Get ready to go! Thirty---"

Shards of glass shattered through the canopy and sliced the pilot to pieces. He slumped forward in a bloody mess and the Satohawk started into a nose dive. The green light turned red and flashed madly, warning clarions sounding off.

Asami looked to Korra and her anxiety fell away. There wasn't any time for it. They needed to move.  _Fast._  "It's the sandbender!" she yelled.

"He can  _bend glass?!"_  asked Kuvira.

"Yes! So keep your head down!" Asami tore the dead pilot from his seat and ducked beneath the controls, leveling off the Satohawk from memory alone. "Korra---"

Korra sprinted to the back of the Satohawk and slammed her fist against the emergency release button. The back ramp lowered and she looked back over her shoulder. "Land this thing! I'll give 'em a better target!" Her eyes ignited in white and she leaped out into the air around them.

Mako and Bolin pulled the hatch closed and Asami settled into the pilot's seat just in time to see Korra fly by in front of them, her hands and feet ablaze with fire. Vengeance. Asami pulled up on the stick, and the Satohawk strained to level off.

The instrument panels were damaged and the hydraulics were torn to shreds from the glass in the cockpit. Still, she held on with every ounce of strength she had, the controls unbearably heavy, and barely kept it steady. "Okay, this is gonna get bumpy!"

Asami made a beeline for the airstrip….which a team of tanks were converging on. Even if she could maneuver, she couldn't veer off course without exposing herself to where she was pretty sure the sandbender was, and there wasn't another landing zone close by. There was---oh. Right. Asami snorted and carefully reoriented the targeting reticule, her muscles burning from overexertion. She fired a barrage of lightning at the tanks, melting their armor and detonating their fuel tanks.

Asami set her jaw and banked to the side, lowering down as steadily as she could. "Hold on to something! It's not gonna be a smooth landing!"

Asami scowled as she brought the Satohawk down to the airstrip and slammed down on to the concrete, shattering the landing gear as it skidded across the ground. Metal screeched against hardened stone, the rotors digging into the earth and snapping, until they finally came to an uneasy stop, tossing them off of their feet.

Asami groaned to her feet, shaking out her arms. She looked back into the cabin. "Everyone okay?"

Mako picked himself up and dusted himself off. "We're good."

"Great! We're here!" She looked between them all. "...now what?"

Kuvira wrinkled her nose and clicked on her radio.

" _...please respond. We've landed on the north side of the compound and have secured the area. We can't raise Commander Gisei. Requesting new orders from acting commanding officer."_

Opal paled. "...I thought  _they_ were next in line."

"Avatar Korra was evidently expected to take up the mantle," said Kuvira, her voice sharp. "Since that won't be happening, which of you will assume the role of commander?"

"Why not you?" said Bolin. He held up his hands when the others stared in disbelief. "Hey, look, guys, I'm not the biggest fan of this either, but I worked with her for years---" He looked at Opal and winced. "---sorry, again. But she's perfect for the job! We need a military commander, and we have one. Right there."

Kuvira looked from each face to the next, as if she meant to gauge their reactions. "Thank you, Bolin. But it's not my call. Miss Sato?"

Asami shook her head, baffled. "What? No, that's a terrible---I run a business! Not a military!"

"That's not what I meant," said Kuvira. "This is your aircraft, and you'd be taking orders from me. I will be the first to admit that this situation is far from optimal. If anyone has any objections to my assuming authority, I want to hear them now. I won't step up if it isn't my place to do so."

Opal frowned. "Just do it already so we can get this over with. You get us home, safe and sound. If you can do that, I don't care how, just do it."

Asami sighed. "...as much as I hate to admit it, yeah. We came here to do a job. This is the only way it gets done."

Mako leaned closer to his brother, nudging his shoulder. "You're sure about this, Bo?"

"Yeah, absolutely! 90%! Mostly. Look, point is, we'll make it out fine." He gestured to Kuvira. "Right?"

Kuvira sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I will be the last person to instill false hope. We're in a dangerous situation, and survival may prove a more plausible goal than outright success." She paused. "Telling the troops won't help morale, but you all deserve full disclosure. I can't promise that we'll make it out unscathed. If you still want me to lead knowing that, I'll do it."

Opal groaned. "Just. Do it."

Mako nodded. "There's literally no one else who can."

Kuvira looked at them all a moment longer and seemed to steel herself before entering the cockpit. "This is your new commander speaking," she said over the intercom, her voice steady and resolute. "This is Kuvira."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually really proud of how this one turned out. The action, the surprises, the airburst suit, Zaheer...the only thing that sooooorta bums me out is that, thanks to the situation at hand, Zaheer's scene didn't get to be as long as it typically would have been. Well, under normal circumstances, Korra would've done what she said she was gonna do. So maybe it would have been even shorter. Spooky. Fun stuff: Penshe means "Jet" in Chinese. Oh, and I know some of you thought I forgot about the sandbender, but I promise you, that was never the case. I mean, we haven't seen that bastard for what, 10 chapters? SURPRISE! :D
> 
> That last bit by Kuvira...jfc, we must have gone over that a dozen times. iviscrit had this massive speech written up, but then, welp, we sorta realized, thanks to thejmpr, that it'd be pretty stupid if she pulled that when surrounded by a hostile force. So we went with something simple, and hopefully powerful. Kuvira settling back in to her old role as the commander, though thankfully without the dictator part. This situation our heroes are in is slightly similar to what I envisioned Kuvira's liberation of Ba Sing Se was. Except that was WAY worse. Sort of.
> 
> In case this wasn't clear, that White Lotus guy has been around since the first freaking story in this series. Yeah. That's the same Lee. He was in Chapter 3, 4 and 10 as well. And now he's dead! :D
> 
> BONUS: eegahisms (doctoreegah on Ao3) completed page 2 of their comic adaption of Chapter 9 yesterday! Here it is: http://eegahisms.tumblr.com/post/123501606944/volatile-chapter-9-repairs-retrofits-and Now go read it and reblog or like or whatever. Show that awesome dude some support! 
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated and encouraged. No matter how small, random, scathing, rambling or ridiculous your thoughts may be, I want to hear them. And I really ~do~ mean that. Seriously, if it's just like one word, yeah, I want to hear it.


	21. Boiling Point, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami is pretty sure she has tinnitus now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by thejmpr and beech27. Consulting work by iviscrit.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Ten Months, Two Weeks after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Summer, 175 A.G._

 

"This is Kuvira. Give me your location."

" _We landed on one of the airship ports, southwest side of the island. Met some resistance, but we cleared them out. Area is secure for the moment."_

Kuvira grimaced and looked around the torn apart interior of their Satohawk. It would take a miracle for it to fly again, by her best guess. "Status of your Satohawk? Ours is---"

Asami kept low to the floor and shook her head. "Hydraulics are gone. Rotors and blades, too. Back ramp won't open."

"---damaged beyond repair."

" _All but pristine, ma'am."_

"Fortify that position as much as you can. That craft is our only reliable way off of this rock. After that, take half of your team and---" Right, no earthbenders. "---scout for viable entry points."

" _Understood, and that won't be a problem, ma'am. We'll make our own hole."_

"Hey, uh, guys? We've got company!" said Bolin.

Kuvira peeked out of the cockpit and narrowed her eyes down the tarmac. Two teams of nine. Statistically, fire and earthbenders. VarriMechs and retrofitted mecha-tanks. Must have been offline when the electromagnetic pulse was deployed. "We can't take them head on, and if we stay here we'll be sitting turtle ducks." She motioned for the rest of them to move aside. "Opal, set charges on the doors." She reached down into the belly of the Satohawk and metalbent it open, revealing the platinum armor plating crushed against the airstrip. "Mako, Bolin; cut through the armor. We're going below." Kuvira stepped aside to allow the two brothers to work, lavadisks and superheated flames performing in tandem. No sense in wasting what little thermite they had. "Asami, do we still have power?"

"We should."

She pointed to the door-mounted cannons and the cockpit. "Rig them to fire by radio."

Asami nodded and slid underneath the instrument panel, peeling back the access plate and rewiring the internal systems.

"I don't know how to plant explosives," said Opal.

Kuvira took the pack from Bolin's seat and smacked a piece of plastic explosive on the door. "Stick." She armed it. "Click." She tossed Opal the detonator and mimed squeezing the air. "Squeeze, and flip. Understood?"

Opal repeated the process on the other door. "Stick, click, squeeze and flip...got it." She hoisted the bag over her shoulder and looked down at the brothers below, sparks and heat rising up into the cabin. "You sure this will work?"

"It better."

 

* * *

 

 

Korra flew through the air, rolling onto the top wing of a biplane and metalbending its tail into the fuel tank. She ripped the propellers out and took off once more, the aircraft spiraling out of control and slamming straight into the wall of the base behind her. The wall cracked and fractured, but remained.

She swooped down along the lake and grabbed hold of the water that she splashed up in her wake. She slung giant icicles at plane after plane, cutting through their frames and destroying their wings, sending them into a fatal nosedive.

Korra dropped back over the boiling lake and caught an odd shimmer in the water. The air sang, and she spun around onto her back, airbending the barrage of glass away at the last moment. She spotted the sandbender overhead, perched on a plane soaring past the wall and unleashed a flurry of massive fireballs, detonating the bombs strapped to the wings.

Way too close. One slip and she'd be gutted. The glass had been all but invisible, and if not for the sun, it would have been. As long as she focused, and remembered the sound, she should be able to-

As if on cue, she heard a sharp singing sound and banked up and to her flank, narrowly dodging a barrage of glass shards from one of the watchtowers. Korra growled and arced toward it, spiraling through the air and blasting it with wind and fire. The air knocked the sandbender off of the tower and into the base itself, and the fire set the overlook ablaze.

Korra dove and landed on the wall, peeking out over the edge to search for some sign of the sandbender, yet all she could find was an abandoned motor pool. She scowled and pushed herself back into the air, leaving a trail of flames in her wake.

If the sandbender wanted to play cat and spider-rat, she'd just have to follow along. He'd slip up, and when he did, she'd take him down.

Korra circled back around to the airstrip and narrowed her eyes at the soldiers, mecha-tanks and VarriMechs converging on the downed Satohawk. She clicked on her radio and shot a cable into the nearby wall, anchoring herself. "Took care of most of the planes. Everyone okay?"

" _Thus far,"_  said Kuvira.

" _We're fine! Stay off the tarmac!"_  said Asami.

Korra raised a brow and looked back over the crash site. The Satohawk's lights flickered on and it unloaded its electrical cannons at the advancing battalion, bright blue lightning arcing and slicing through man and metal alike. The VarriMechs managed to dodge the attack and rushed over to the side doors, their platinum-lined hands tearing them open. As soon as they did, the entire Satohawk was consumed by a deafening explosion, melting through the heavy armor plating and the concrete below. The dozen or so benders that survived were then pulled underground, two by two in a matter of seconds. And then, almost immediately, they were tossed back out on to the strip, bound and gagged.

"...don't see that every day."

 

* * *

 

 

Asami hauled a particularly heavy earthbender over her shoulder and up the earthbent ramp. Attacking from below had been, admittedly, a brilliant move, and not one she'd have readily thought of herself. But then, that was exactly why Kuvira was in charge. For the moment.

She tossed the large woman on to the concrete and took stock of her surroundings. The airstrip was all but bare, save for a few unused planes and a decently sized dock with a cargo ship. Asami unhooked her binoculars and looked out over the boiling lake, toward the northeast. Sure enough, there was a large, partially concealed sea tunnel in the basin's wall. "Smuggling routes," she said, pointing toward it. "In the rock wall." She focused on the cargo ship and screwed up her face. "...Varrick Industries International."

"It's not his. Ordinary steel wouldn't hold in the boiling lake," said Kuvira, dragging a body out of the pit.

"That's not exactly proof…" She took a closer look at the bow. "...though the glaring lack of an icebreaker certainly is. Every Varrick ship has one. Can't make the Water Tribe routes without them." She put her binoculars back on her belt. "And he is very adamant about making those."

Opal followed Asami's gaze and shrugged. "Not much we can do about it right now." She sighed and kicked the growing pile of captured soldiers. "Or these guys, come to think of it. We can't just carry them around, let alone leave them here."

"We can load them up in one of those trucks," said Mako, gesturing toward several park cars off the dock. "Come back for them later."

Kuvira sighed and tossed a spasming, foaming-at-the-mouth corpse on to the pile. "Leave them. There's nothing we can do."

Asami's eyes widened and stepped backward. "What? Wait, why---" Then, the rest of them followed suit, white drool and foam seeping out of gagged, seizuring mouths. She made a disgusted face and looked away. "Nevermind, I understand."

"Interrogation is no longer a viable option. Any intel we collect will be inside the base. Your priority should be to wipe them out, and incapacitate only when possible."

Korra came swooping down out of the sky and rolled into a landing. She hopped up to her feet and grimaced at the pile of dead bodies. "Glad you guys are okay, not so torn about them, but who wants to bring me up to speed?"

Bolin pointed to Kuvira. "She's in charge."

Korra looked to Asami. "...really?"

Asami nodded. "Yes."

"All right, then. What's our next move?"

"Forward." Kuvira lowered the dead bodies into the ground and smoothed the hole closed. "The Satohawks were supposed to provide air support, Korra. You're our alternative. Until we get into the base, I want you in the air. Keep them occupied."

"On it." Korra took a deep breath and launched into the air again, blazing heat crackling where she lifted off.

"The rest of you, get to the dock. Bolin, anything gets too close, melt it. Opal, Asami, you're on point. They won't know how to fight an airbender with some semblance of military experience, let alone that suit you've built. Flank and tear them apart. Mako, you're with me." She turned to him, eyes hardening. "Ours is the simplest role."

Mako raised a brow. "Being?"

Kuvira raised a wall of concrete to their left, blocking a flurry of metal strips and fire. "Kill." She crouched down next to the barrier and set her jaw. "Opal, give us some cover. Everyone else, keep moving."

Opal handed off the bag to Bolin and pulled the wind toward her, bending a cyclone around them that grew larger by the second, marring itself grey from the gathered dust and debris. She pivoted out from cover, her feet gliding across the ground, and released her air, sending her cyclone hurtling straight toward the docks.

"Move!" barked Kuvira.

Asami ignited her afterburner, the heat rising up on her neck, and boosted forward with Opal, staying within the advancing twister. The wind rattled the windows of the small barracks and the shipping cranes as it passed through them, five blasts of fire and metal shattering them from the inside. Opal glided inside and airkicked in a wide arc, tossing two of them, and several kinds of large furniture, into the back of the room, scratching the steel walls.

Asami leaped through the window and smashed one of the firebender's heads into the ground, electricity crackling off of his prone body. She rolled over a large steel plate aimed at her head, and deflected a series of fireballs with her fan as she weaved her way toward the next two benders. She ducked and swung her blade up, slicing into their chests in one motion. They crumbled to the floor in a bloody mess and Asami spun around to see Opal blasting another man out the window, straight into the boiling lake.

She leaned back, dodging more blades aimed at her head, and snapped forward, boosting into the last bender, dropkicking him straight through the front door, shattering it to pieces. She sprinted outside just as Bolin, Mako and Kuvira passed by, slinging lava, fire and metal as they moved towards the cars.

Bolin dropped low to the ground and extended his arms, melting the concrete below the nearby crane. The giant machine sunk into the ground and Kuvira tore the support beams to pieces, causing it to fall in massive, terrorist-crushing chunks. It collapsed entirely, cracking the earth beneath it along the full length of the dock. The top of the crane landed straight on the cargo ship, fracturing the hull and slowly sinking it. Mako filled the rest of the area with fire, burning through the few that had survived the destruction.

VarriMechs stomped forward from the compound, and Korra swooped down out of the sky to airbend them all off of their feet, straight into the boiling lake. They flipped through the air and crashed into one another before hitting the water.

They were...surprisingly efficient, under Kuvira's command. Lethal. Asami was unsure how to feel about that fact.

"Asami, Opal! Secure a vehicle!" ordered Kuvira.

Asami boosted over the remains of the crane and toward the parked cars, Opal gliding at her flank. She rounded the corner of a shipping container and instinctively blocking three streams of fire with her fans in front of her as she advanced. The fire licked across the metal and she slid under the flames, seamlessly electrocuting one bender with her fan and cracking the second's skull open as she bounced off the container wall and smashed his head into another.

Opal airbent the third firebender on top of the container, landing just long enough to send him hurtling head over heels into the boiling, sinking ship.

Asami sprinted toward the cars, bounding above and between the fallen pieces of crane. A duo of metalbenders leaped out from behind a nearby truck and bent the car straight at her, fully intending to crush her. But Asami was faster. She had always been faster. She spun, slicing her way through the steel like it was paper, and used their brief frozen bafflement to cut them down. One through the neck, the other in the chest.

Asami looked away from the bodies and blood, burying all of those pesky feelings of guilt and shame as deep as they would go. There would be time for reflection later.

She hopped into the driver's seat of the jeep and...well, she could either hotwire it, or---Opal landed in the backseat and tossed her a set of car keys. And that answered that. The engine stalled, over and over again. She growled, blocking out everything but the car, and slammed her fists into the steering wheel. With an awkward beep, the car roared to life.

She'd slaughtered those tanks not an hour earlier, so why was...why was this so different? It was just like fighting in her home, except the Boiling Rock wasn't her home, it was someone else's home, that she was invading-

" _Asami, Bolin, Mako,---Team Avata---_ " said Korra.

" _Team one, Korra,"_  interjected Kuvira.

" _Thank you. Team one, you've got mecha-tanks headed your way. I can clear 'em out, but there are still a few planes up here_."

" _Kuvira,_ " said the Fire Nation squad leader. " _We can take care of the rest of the air assets."_

" _Do it,_ " said Kuvira.

Asami shifted the car into first and pulled into a hard turn, racing back to the rest her team. She took a peek up at the sky and saw the remaining biplanes erupt into flames, screeching out of the sky. Most landed in the boiling lake, a few slammed straight into the base wall, and one was---

"Plane! Plane, plane, plane!" said Opal.

Heading straight for her.

Asami veered out of the way as the wreckage rolled past her and into several abandoned trucks, setting them ablaze. The mecha-tanks at the edge of the airstrip doubled over and were catapulted into the lake in an almost comical fashion by a sudden gale.

" _Aircraft neutralized_ ," said the squad leader. " _We're coming up on the blast doors---_."

Static.

" _Commander Rin, say again,_ " said Kuvira. " _Commander Rin---_ "

" _BE ADVISED THE SANDBENDER IS---_ " Static, again. " _\---UP THE LEFT SIDE, KEEP THE BASTARD PINNED!_ "

Asami rolled up to her team and they piled in. Mako in the front, Bolin, Opal and Kuvira in the back. Kuvira motioned forward and Asami slammed her foot down on the gas, shifting up gears as they sped toward the wall.

Kuvira scowled and searched the sky. "Korra, give them some support!"

A bright red flame streaked through the air, towards the other side of the island.

" _Kuvira, they look fine to me_ ," said Korra. " _Wait...hold on, they're signaling me. Their radios are broken. Sandbender got to them before they drove 'em off. Oh, and guys, you're not gonna believe this..."_

 

* * *

 

 

Korra held the radio to her ear as she worked on healing the deep shoulder wound on the commander's back. "They're combustion benders."

Each third-eye tattoo was slightly different, though they appeared to be based on a single design. It looked similar to eye with the Fire Nation sigil in the center, with a few accented parts for...most likely style.

" _I know. I read the briefing,_ " said Kuvira.

"Well, yeah, but all of 'em? It didn't say that in there."

Commander Rin winced and leaned forward. "That's because it's supposed to be a secret."

" _I was unaware it was supposed to be a secret._ "

Korra frowned. "I think she meant for this mission specifically."

"We had intelligence suggesting that Kuvira could be the sandbender, but apparently that's not the case," said the commander. "However, one of our suspicions was confirmed about him."

" _Which is---Bolin, make a hole there. Excuse me, which is?_ "

"The sandbender is vulnerable to lightning and combustion. Each time he blocked our assault, he stopped doing everything else. Focused entirely on defense."

"Great. Can't do either of those," grumbled Korra. She returned the water back to her skin and cracked her neck. "...but I can keep 'em on the run. Try and lure him back to you guys."

" _If you see an opportunity, take it. We'll be through the wall momentarily. Commander Rin, what's your progress?_ "

Commander Rin stood and grabbed Korra's radio. "Got some giant, platinum blast doors. We can burn through them, though." She snapped her fingers and motioned toward two of her team. They ran up to the door and began applying some sort of odd substance to it. "They lead straight to the landing zone, so it'll give us a quick exfiltration route."

" _Any idea how thick the doors are?_ " asked Asami.

"At least a foot, but it's nothing thermite can't handle."

"The doors look like they go straight into the facility, and not the open yards on the surface, too," said Korra, studying them closer. "Thinking it's a perfect place for an ambush."

" _Most likely, but I was thinking more about the platinum itself..._ "

 

* * *

 

 

Asami furrowed her brow at the massive, platinum wall in front of them. It had been hidden so well behind layer after layer of stone and steel that she never would have guessed that they'd have the resources, or the necessity, to build such a thing. Or rebuild, as it were.

Bolin pouted and tossed away another chunk of concrete. "Everything's always gotta be platinum…"

"The outer walls are platinum, too," sighed Asami. "Off the top of my head, I'd say this doubles as---"

Kuvira placed a trail of thermite across the wall in the shape of a door. "Mako, on my mark."

Asami turned away from the wall and back towards their jeep, and beyond it the smoldering airstrip. "---a spirit bomb shelter. The walls are thick enough to protect against a direct hit."

"Now." said Kuvira.

Asami heard a hissing sound and flames crackling behind her.

" _Either that, or it's for keeping the energy contained for testing purposes_ ," added Commander Rin. " _The Red Lotus don't do things half way. They'd need facilities like this._ "

" _That'd make sense,_ " mused Korra. " _Couldn't sense the bomb at Raiko's press conference, even though it was active. That platinum container must've masked the energy_ ," she said.

"Wait, hold on..." Bolin's eyes widened. "So, you're telling me that they could have spirit weapons in there, and we'd never know until they either blew up, or there was a purple glow everywhere?"

" _I wouldn't worry about it._ "

"It's a little difficult not to!" said Opal.

" _We'll be fine, just stay focused. Now, I'm off to flush out some terrorists, make your jobs easier,_ " said Korra. " _But before that..._ "

A bright red streak flickered above them and dropped out of the sky, landing right beside them. Korra took a deep breath and held out her hand. "Team two needs a radio."

Bolin tossed her his and she took off once again, circling back toward the first team, and then flying into the large courtyard of the facility, crashing down with so much force that it shuddered through the ground around them.

The section of platinum clattered inward into the base interior, which was oddly illuminated. Asami exchanged a look with Kuvira. "...looks like the base still has electricity. Must've had a backup generator."

" _Which means they could be listening in,_ " said the commander. " _Though just because they have backup lighting systems and power, doesn't mean that their communications are functional. Their radios should still be broken, even with a new power source._ "

Kuvira motioned for them to advance and entered the base herself, followed by Bolin, Mako Opal and finally Asami. They'd lucked out. Their point of entry appeared to be a decently sized storage room, packed with cables, power tools and spare parts of every variety. She even spotted a set of plasma saws off in the corner.

"This wasn't in the blueprints," said Mako. "And I have a feeling the rest of this place isn't either."

"That's the assumption I would make," said Kuvira. "Moving forward, we will most likely be exclusively engaged in close quarters combat, so stay alert." Kuvira metalbent some of the spare parts into a metal sheet and set it against their entry point. "That door is platinum. Asami, can you use those plasma saws? No sense wasting thermite."

Asami inspected them closely and checked the power source. "Still active. If you give me a few minutes, I can make this portable." Just like dad did.

Kuvira nodded and grabbed her radio. "The internal doors are platinum as well, so make this work. Team two, what's your status?"

Asami cracked open the saw and started to jury-rig it, remembering the over-sized version she'd made during the Third Battle of Republic City. It wouldn't cut as deep, but it didn't need to.

" _Blast doors are open, ma'am. It leads to a large transport tunnel that goes all the way to a loading dock on the surface. Has a motor pool close by. Jeeps, motorcycles, trucks---lots of police and military variants, too._ "

Asami made the finishing touches on her mini-saw and slipped on her welding mask. She motioned for her team to turn around and got to work cutting through the platinum door.

"Korra?" asked Kuvira.

 

* * *

 

 

"Little busy!" Korra slid down the inside of the prison wall, dragging two streams of boiling water along as the stone earth cracked beneath her boots. She kicked off of the stone and propelled herself over the yard, bending giant slabs of concrete into group of mecha-tanks, crushing them outright. Korra spiraled, airbending a deflective barrier around herself as she was peppered with blades, fire, and the odd electrified net.

She dropped to the ground and landed powerfully, cracking the earth with rapidly expanding fissures, soldiers and tanks alike tossed being tossed like rag dolls into the pits.

The air around her sang, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Glass.

Korra back flipped away from barrage after barrage of glass. She looked up at the main watchtower and saw him. The sandbender. Standing there, arrogant with sand flowing around him like water, that stupid cloak blending in with their element.

Nowhere to run.

Korra set her jaw, bent her boiling water around her, and launched herself back into the air, her flames broiling what was left of the yard as she charged straight toward the sandbender, dodging raging stream after stream of sand, metal, and glass by less and less. She reached out and waterbent the river straight at him, steam rising from the tendrils of water. The sandbender leaped backwards off of the watchtower, avoiding it entirely, the water splashing harmlessly against the metal structure.

Korra landed on the roof of the tower and looked out over the edge, only to barely dodge a long glass shard aimed at her head. She rolled away, and straight into a smoke grenade exploding in her face. She stumbled backward and coughed violently, clutching her stomach, before airbending it out of her lungs and away from her entirely.

Wait, where did the---

The sky turned dark, and Korra gaped.

Floating above the yard was the sandbender, bending a massive, roaring thunderous sandstorm that actually darkened the sky. And she had a pretty good idea what was about to happen next. Korra leaped off of the watchtower and called upon Raava's light, her eyes igniting in white fire. She ripped the tower off of its foundation, spinning it below her with all of her strength.

The air sang louder, hundreds of enormous glass shards falling like rain. She drilled the tower into the ground and through floor after floor of concrete, steel and platinum. Korra fell along with it, landing at the bottom with a roll, and shattering what remained of the tower walls. She bursted out into a wide metal hallway, broken glass scattering across the floor.

Korra took a moment to catch her breath and her eyes cooled, returning to blue. She leaned against the wall and ran her hands through her sweaty hair. She grabbed her radio. "I'm fine, just a little winded. Took out some armor, made a hole into the..." Korra spotted a nearby map, bolted to the wall next to an office doorway. She trailed her finger over it and found her position, which was very clearly marked with 'You Are Here' in large red characters. "...second floor basement."

" _Status of the sandbender?_ " asked Kuvira.

"Around here somewhere. He loves playing cat and spider-rat." Korra walked back into the wrecked, upside down watchtower and grimaced. There might've been important information in there, not that she'd really had a better option. She couldn't bend glass. She carefully moved around the shattered desks and electrical instruments, picking her way through the mess.

" _You mean he fights like a guerrilla._ "

"Yeah, and it's really starting to piss me off. Bad enough that---" Korra blinked as she heard something clatter. She looked up and saw the sandbender descending through the giant hole, slinging glass blades and metal down the shaft.

Korra scowled and dove back into the hallway, rolling on her shoulder, barely avoiding the shattering glass and metal barrage. The sandbender landed where she'd been standing and rose to his feet. Korra spun and filled the hallway with wind, sending the sandbender flying through the cracked wall of the watchtower and out the other side. The air sang behind Korra, and she pivoted, frantically deflecting the shattered glass and sand on the floor from striking anything vital. A few shards got through and stabbed her in her arm, another across her cheek.

Korra roared and ignited the air she'd just filled the hall with, consuming it all in flames. She ground her teeth and released more and more fire, intent on burning every single inch of the area. There would be no escape. No more glass.

No more terror.

Korra exhaled and walked through the flames, ignoring the calls on her radio. On the opposite end of the hall, before the split, was a glowing metal shield rising out of the floor. Bright red and close to boiling. Korra metalbent it apart and---nothing.

The sandbender was gone.

Korra grunted and made her way back to the map, tearing it off of the wall. "Had another run-in with the sandbender," she said into her radio. "Glass in my arm, but I'm all right. How're you?"

 

* * *

 

 

Asami finished cutting through the door and extinguished her torch, clipping it to her belt. She should have thought to make something like that years ago, if not right after her father had come up with the basic principles. "About to move into the base. Get that glass out," said Asami.

" _Will do once I get the chance. Gonna check around these offices, first. Think I know where you guys are, too. Be there soon._ "

Kuvira tilted her head. "Opal, on my move, get the door."

Opal positioned herself to the side of the door frame, her hands flowing around a growing sphere of wind, Mako and Bolin beside her. Asami pressed up against the opposite side, and grimaced as Kuvira moved behind her.

Kuvira brought down her fist and Opal blasted the door off of its hinges, sending it flying across the hangar and smashing two terrorists into the far wall with a loud crack. She spun through the opening and opened her suit, propelling herself into the air and above the stone, metal and fire being pelted at her. She banked left, away from the door, and spiraled into a sequence of airbending kicks, toppling several large shipping crates into the ambush squad.

Asami rushed out of the door next and closed the distance between her and the terrorists, swatting away metal and dodging stone without the slightest hesitation. She leaped over the growing pit of lava beneath two of them and landed on a third, palming his face and slamming him into the ground, electricity surging through his body.

With no warning, water slammed into her side and pinned her into the wall, freezing over. Asami growled and struggled in her ice prison, glaring at the waterbender who'd gotten the better of her. Or so she thought. Asami pushed outward on the ice, slightly reorientating her posture, and managed to automatically ignite the afterburner on her back to far higher levels of thrust, melting the ice just enough.

She flexed and it shattered, much to the shock of the waterbender. Wasting no time, she launched herself at the terrorist and knocked her unconscious with an electrified uppercut to the jaw.

Asami turned back to the battlefield and---

Blue light blinded her, knocking the wind out of her lungs and forcing her to collapse on to the ground. Her body armor sizzled and crackled, lightning arcing around it. She struggled to breath, clawing her way up on all fours. Asami groaned to her feet and stumbled forward, straight into someone's fist.

She tasted blood and her ears were ringing, but that didn't matter. She could still see. She could still fight. She'd never stop.

Counter and overwhelm.

Instinct took over, and she was a blur. She caught the attacker's arm, shattered it with her elbow and caved in his windpipe by slamming it into her knee. She grabbed a second by the waist and neck, electrocuting him, and smashed his head into the steel wall.

Number three; broken neck. Fourth, stab through the shoulder, electrocution. Five, six, seven; sliced open spines. If they survived, they'd never walk again. Nine, kicked into the wall and with her sword in their stomach. Ten. Crushed ribs.

Clinical. Brutal. That was what she needed to be to win. To survive. To beat them. To kill them. To  _wipe out every single one of them-_ \--

Asami froze, rational thought snapping back into place. Her suit was singed in the front, and her nose was bleeding. She wiped away the blood and jumped at the hand on her shoulder.

"Take it easy," said Mako. "You okay?"

Asami took several shallow breaths before returning to a more regulated rhythm. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Must've gotten hit with a bolt of lightning and then...I don't even know."

"Fight or flight response," said Kuvira, checking over the bodies. "Combined with over a decade of grueling physical conditioning, you can't expect anything less."

Asami sheathed her blades and swallowed. "I---"

"You can reflect on this when we're home. For now, push it aside."

"After what I just---"

"Move forward."

Asami growled and felt the rage bubble in the pit of her stomach, but managed to silence it. For the moment. She exhaled and brushed her hair out of her face. She was still angry. After all that time, it was still within her. Rage. Waiting and listening for just the right moment to take control.

That wasn't her. It was something, but it wasn't her. Not...all of her, at the very least. She was stronger than her anger, she wouldn't let it---

"Asami, focus." said Kuvira, lowering her voice.

Asami blinked and nodded. Yes. There would be time later. She'd lost count how many times she'd said that. She looked around the hangar and consciously stepped away from the disturbingly large pile of bodies. Several oddly shaped watercraft were suspended above water, and with no obvious exits to the lake itself. "I think I've seen these somewhere before."

Opal knocked her knuckles against one of the craft. "Yeah, me too. I just can't quite..." She gasped. "Asami! It's a submarine!"

Asami raised her brows and approached it, inspecting it closer. The angles, the view ports meant to be below sea level, the top hatch. "You're right. I thought the Fire Nation were the only ones to still have this technology..."

"Maybe someone's been selling them to the Red Lotus?" asked Mako.

"Unlikely.  These appear to be adapted from an older model design, and there's only a single torpedo launcher." said Kuvira. "This was built for infiltration and smuggling, not war."

"This must be how they can move around undetected," said Asami.

A massive explosion shook the hangar, and dust fell from the ceiling.

"...speaking of undetected..."

The ceiling cracked and a giant piece of steel drilled into the hangar. It slammed into the ground, rattling the submarines. The five of them warily circled the metal beam.

The metal split apart and Korra, bloody from her own wounds, stumbled out of it, tossing a duffle full of papers to the ground. She rested her hands on her knees and gave them all a tired wave. "Hey guys."

Asami stared at her in disbelief. "...what...did you just drill through the ground with a building?"

"Elevators are out; platinum doors." Korra wiped the sweat off her brow. "Sandbender is...well, y'know how it's hard to see a glass door if it's really clear?"

Kuvira frowned. "You can't avoid what you can't see coming."

"Yep. I can barely hear it, but that's about it. So keep your ears open."

Bolin looked up at the ceiling. "Can't he just metalbend his way here?"

"He can, but he won't. He's done this cat and spider-rat thing like twenty times now!" said Korra, throwing her hands up in the air. She winced and grabbed her bleeding forearm. "Little help?"

Asami sighed and carefully inspected her arm, pulling the bloody sleeve off entirely. Several lacerations and even more shards dug deep into her flesh. "I can get these out, but I need some tweezers."

Mako handed her a pair.

Asami stared at him incredulously. "Why do you..." Eyebrows. "Nevermind. Thank you."

Korra handed him some sort of metal map with her good arm. "Here, take a look at this. Found it a few floors up."

Asami carefully removed each and every tiny shard of glass from Korra's arm and frowned at the cut on her cheek. "What's on the papers you found?"

"Not sure, just grabbed as much as I could. Figured it'd be better to sort that out later. Focus on the mission and the wannabe-Avatar running around."

"Probably for the best." Asami picked out the last piece of glass. "There we are."

Korra flexed her arm and used her waterskin to close her wounds, the soft glow illuminating the dried bloodstains on her side. "Can't help but notice you're covered in blood. You okay?"

"It's not mine."

Korra bent the water back into her waterskin and slipped her sleeve back on, pulling her hands through the fingerless gloves. "I know. That's what worries me."

"Guys!" said Mako. "Looks like there's a command center in the center of this floor. A massive one."

Kuvira handed Bolin the dufflebag full of documents and looked at the map. "That's our target." She clicked on her radio. "Team two, status?"

" _Made our way into the level four basement, cleared out some low-lifes on the way. Exfiltration path is secure for the time being and we just found a map of the base._ "

"Good. We're on that level as well. We'll rendezvous with you in the command center." Kuvira motioned towards the large door at the far end of the hangar. "Let's keep moving. Korra, you take the rear. The rest of you, same formation."

Asami used her plasma saw to cut through the door, which was thankfully much thinner than the last one, and kicked it open, the heavy metal crashing loudly to the ground. She moved inside, sword and fan at the ready, with Opal right beside her.

The hallway was narrow, packed with side rooms and windows. All of them burned. They came across a larger room filled with instruments and batteries. And Vines. Asami kicked down the door and sifted through the workstations while the rest of them kept watch.

Asami sighed and looked through the documents scattered throughout. "Nothing new. Just the same research we did on the vines." She shoved the cache of Spirit Vines into Bolin's duffle. "...but at least we found these. We'll have to dispose of them back home. Controlled detonations."

"...why?" asked Kuvira.

"Burning them doesn't always remove their conductivity of spirit energy.'

Bolin raised a brow and looked at his bag. "When did I become everyone's pack camel-yak?"

"You're good at fighting with a bag, bro," said Mako.

"This is true. Okay, I accept my new role, and the praise that goes along with it."

Asami rolled her eyes walked back into the hallway. They advanced quickly, but the entire floor seemed to be deserted. Room after room was torched. Trying to cover their tracks, no doubt.

Kuvira motioned for them to halt, just in front of the command center's doors. "...footsteps approaching," she whispered. "Eight. Four front, four back." She pointed down the hall and behind them, near the fork in the hallway.

Asami drew her blades, Mako dropped into a lightning stance, Bolin readied a lavadisk, Opal took a deep breath and Kuvira grounded herself.

" _Kuvira, we're---is that me on the radio?_ " asked Commander Rin.

Commander Rin marched out from the corner down the hall, half of her squad behind her, with the other half moving in from Korra's direction. "Well, this is a welcome surprise! Thought we'd have to fight off another wave of chi-blockers."

Asami relaxed her stance and sheathed her blades. "You fought chi-blockers here?"

"Not too many. If I had to guess, I'd say most of the non-benders are manning the armor."

Kuvira pointed to the large command center door. "Asami, get that open."

Asami nodded and quickly cut through the door. She walked inside and raised her brows. It was almost entirely untouched. No signs of fire or trashed documents. In the center of the room was a big round table, and maps of major cities were scattered across the walls. All in front of a massive window overlooking a large platinum shield. Odd. "Think we might've caught a break here."

The rest entered behind her and searched the room. Asami perused through the drawers and piled papers onto the desk, skimming through them as she went along. There was a pattern, and not a good one. "Everything I've got here is dated almost twenty years ago. 158 AG."

Korra turned to her and frowned. "...that was the year they tried to capture me. But they've got to have records after that. There are hundreds of people here."

"The maps are current," said Opal. "This one of the world is weird, though. Lots of marks everywhere, and really random." She shrugged and rolled up the map, stuffing it into Bolin's bag.

Mako pointed out the window at the platinum shield. "The important stuff could be in there. Looks like a vault to me."

Bolin raised a brow. "Why would they put a vault in a command center?"

"Because it's the most secure part of the facility? How should I know?!"

Asami tentatively reached for the lever, settling her hand on it. "Well, whatever's in there, they want to keep it, which means we need to take it from them." She bit her lip and pulled.

The giant platinum dome folded backward, drowning them in blinding purple light and a warning klaxon. She shielded her eyes and caught Korra doubling over as she looked away. There, outside the massive window, was an enormous Spirit Vine generator. Purple lightning arced over it and was caught by the electrodes in the base of the machine. It pulsed like a beating heart, in tandem with Korra's wincing.

Commander Rin looked on, baffled. "What the hell is that?"

Kuvira stared, mouth agape. "A Spirit Vine energy generator. And it's..."

Bolin's eyes bulged in his head. "At least three times as big as the last one!" His head snapped to Mako, glaring. "And don't even think about it!"

"I---I wasn't!" stammered Mako.

Asami helped Korra to her feet. "This must be the backup power source. We need to shut it down. Come back to dispose of it later."

Korra shook out her head and clutched her forehead. "...and it's giving me a huge headache. How thick is that platinum?! I should have been able to feel this well before we even got here!"

"It doesn't matter---" Asami blinked, calculating the math in her head. "No, wait, it might. If I can rig this thing to blow and close the shield, it should contain the blast. Barely."

"The alternative being that you destroy this entire volcano and a square mile of ocean," said Kuvira. "If you do this, will there be enough time to exfiltrate?"

"In the event that I can't shut it down, we should be able to. The generator won't overload instantaneously."

"Then do it."

Asami nodded and jogged over to the security door, using her plasma saw to cut it open. "You guys head to the Satohawk! I'm right behind you!"

Korra shook her head vehemently as the rest of them sprinted out of the command center. "What if---"

Asami ripped open the door and extinguished her saw. "Korra, I'll be fine. I know this tech better than anyone. Go and clear a path for me."

"Just..." Korra balled her hands into fists and sighed. "Just be careful."

"I will."

Korra nodded and ran out the door, leaving Asami alone with the monstrous generator. She glared up at it as she descended the stairs. It was odd, though. Why would a base need  _that_ much electrical power? They wouldn't. So the only reason for having the generator there would be as a proof of concept, or...

Asami paled. "It's a self-destruct contingency," she muttered. She dashed over to the control panels and her eyes scanned through the readings. MegaVarricks. Of course. They weren't constant, though. The feedback gauge was slowly decreasing, while the power generation was building higher and higher.

That was the timer, and it was already set to blow. Someone warned them about the attack. The Red Lotus had  _known_  they were coming. They'd banked on it.

Asami tore the access panel off of the control panel and ducked inside, searching through the wiring and circuit boards faster than she thought possible. Something was off, even more than it already was. The vines would overload, destroying everything, assuming she couldn't shut it down.

But she  _could_. It was so obvious. She found the intermediaries, the wiring for them, and hesitated. It was too easy. The Red lotus weren't stupid. Which meant they'd assume she'd try to shut down their generator, rather than risk detonation, especially since it was already rigged to blow.

She dug deeper and found her answer. Every intermediary part of the generator was connected to vines themselves, which meant if she tried to shut it down, it would instantly overload.

However, that wasn't her only option.

She could always slow the timer.

Asami clicked on her radio. "Can't shut it down, and the Red Lotus rigged it to overload in the next two minutes. They knew we were coming, but I can buy us some time. On my mark, we'll have ten minutes to get to the Satohawk."

" _We're ready,_ " said Kuvira.

Asami rewired internal systems and bit her lip. "Mark." She pushed herself out of the access panel and went to work re-configuring the controls, setting the degradation rate to match the changes she'd just made. It all looked stable, but she was still cutting it close. She sprinted back up to the command center and yanked the shield control lever.

Nothing happened.

Asami paled and pulled the lever back and forth. She heard the motors groan and shudder as the left side of the shield started to cover the vines. It creaked to a stop and a large panel of platinum sheared itself off, falling straight into the active generator.

Lighting and purple energy surged over it and shot into the command center, cutting through the ceiling and destroying half of the room. Wiring and steel beams fell to the floor and Asami scrambled to avoid them, barely avoiding a blast of lightning as she rolled.

Spirit energy exploded beside her and threw her into back wall of the room, slamming her head into the metal. Once again, the last thing she saw, her eyes dazed, was not darkness, but blinding purple light.

 

* * *

 

 

Korra ducked under the mecha-tank's arm and pivoted, airbending it into the sky and over the prison wall. "What's our time?!"

Commander Rin blasted a VarriMech in half with a concentrated burst of combustion, disabling another two with the tell-tale  _pop-pop_  of her bending. "Eight minutes!"

The floor below them cracked and pillars of sand sliced through the ground and into the sky. The sandbender shot out of crater and bent a dozen streams of razor sharp sand at them all, glinting glass scattered through it all.

Korra and Opal worked quickly, deflecting the attack with a massive gust of air, sending the sandbender to the other side of the yard. He rolled to his feet and bent another barrage of glass filled sand at them.

And then it all stopped. The sand froze in the air and glass clattered harmlessly to the ground. Kuvira and the sandbender stared one another down, neither moving an inch as the sand shuddered in place. Blood dripped down Kuvira's nostrils and she scowled, a large vein throbbing on her forehead as she held him back, forcing the onslaught into a stalemate.

A flurry of lightning and beams of chi surged through the air at the sandbender, forcing him on the defensive. Mako and the combustion benders were relentless in their assault. Kuvira dropped to her knees and the sandstorm kicked up again, but quickly vanished.

Once again, the sandbender was gone.

Kuvira struggled to her feet and motioned toward the tunnel, dazed. "Come on! Move out!" She stumbled and Korra caught her from falling forward on to her face.

Mako hopped into the driver's seat of a troop transport and the engine roared to life. Korra helped Kuvira into the back as everyone else piled in as well. The truck sped off down the tunnel, narrowly avoiding bolts of lightning and nets from the mechs and benders they passed. The combustion benders retaliated in force, turning dozens to meat in an instant.

They drove through the blast doors and on to the airship landing zone, the Satohawk ahead of them. Mako rolled the truck to a stop beside the Satohawk, its rotors already spinning at full capacity.

Korra threw Kuvira's arm over shoulder and walked her up the cargo ramp of the Satohawk, strapping her in to her seat. "Everyone else accounted for?" she asked.

Commander Rin gave her a thumbs up. "Just waiting on Sato!"

Korra clicked on her radio. "Asami, we're ready to go! You're cutting this a little close!"

Static.

"Asami?" She smacked her radio. "Asami. Hey, Asami!" She stared ahead, her eyes glazing over. There must be some interference. Maybe her radio broke. Yes, obviously. She was fine. Totally fine. "Asami?!" she yelled, ignoring her head's more rational way of thinking. "Damnit, Asami, do not make me come back and get you!"

 

* * *

 

 

" _\---make me come back and get you!"_

Asami awoke, her head swimming and throbbing. She felt blood seep through her hair and down her cheek. She opened her eyes, only for them to be filled with purple light. She squeezed them closed and slowly got to her feet, reaching out to half a burnt desk for stability.

Vines.

"Shit!"

Asami's heart pounded in her chest and she felt her foggy mind clear almost instantly, adrenaline pumping through her faster than her own panic could overtake her. She sprinted out the door, stumbling the first few steps before regaining her bearings.

" _ASAMI!_ " yelled Korra, her panicked voice cracking through the radio.

Asami clicked hers on as she engaged the turbofan on her back, propelling her forward. Faster and faster. "I'm okay! The shield controls malfunctioned and the command center is toast. Can't contain the blast!"

" _I'm---_ "

Asami shouldered open the door to the emergency stairwell and began leaping up the railings. "Stay right there! I'll make it."

" _I can block the blast!_ "

Asami bursted out into the afternoon sun and looked around frantically. The motor pool was junked, and the fires were still burning. Except for an overturned satocycle. Perfect. "And make a new spirit portal? Here?" Asami righted the motorcycle and mounted it, revving the engine. She squeezed the gas and charged forward through the complex, zipping through the main yard and into the tunnel system.

" _It's that, or you die,_ " whispered Korra.

"I won't."

" _But---_ "

Asami zigzagged around a debris ridden road block and shifted into a higher gear. "Trust me. I'll make it."

Kuvira's groggy voice cut through the radio. " _Asami, you have less than three minutes. We can't get to a minimum safe distance after that._ "

Asami drew her blade and spun the bike, cutting her way through a jammed security gate and slipping below it. "Got it. Should be coming up on the blast doors now, just following the path of destruction."

" _Wait, Asami there's---_ "

Asami redlined the bike, forcing it further and further. She sped through the blast doors, and into the light once more. And then her heart stopped.

An entire platoon of VarriMechs, mecha-tanks, tanks, trucks and troops had their backs to her, racing toward the landing pad and the roaring Satohawk. There was no other route. If anyone left the Satohawk to help, there wouldn't be enough time to get back.

Asami narrowed her eyes and flourished her blade. "I see them. I'm coming, just be ready." She sped toward the advancing platoon and grit her teeth. She rode straight through the center, slicing a VarriMech and the tires of several trucks on her way. The trucks spun out and flipped on to their side, crashing into the tanks and troops around them. She looked over her shoulder as she passed in front of them all and paled.

It looked so much worse from the other side.

Lightning exploded and sprayed around her as she got closer and closer to the Satohawk, a constant volley by the platoon at her back. She maneuvered expertly, dodging each blast by less and less. The popping of combustion sounded closer every second, the Fire Nation forces tearing through the platoon once it came within range. They fired out of the back ramp, beams of concentrated chi streaking through the air and detonating on top of the Red Lotus.

" _We have to go! Now!_ " barked Kuvira. " _Korra, cables!_ "

Asami locked the satocycle at its top speed and balanced herself on the seat, looking up at the landing pad. "This is the worst idea ever!"

" _Do or die!_ " said Korra.

Korra leaped out of rapidly rising Satohawk and snagged her cable around the back hook. Asami leaped forward off of the bike, pushing her afterburner to its absolute limit and felt the second cable wrap around her waist. Korra retracted it and slung them both inside, bowling over Mako and Bolin.

The back ramp sealed shut and Asami reached for Korra's hand, counting down the seconds. They'd made it. They had. She hadn't miscalculated. Even with the Satohawk's platinum armor, it wouldn't withstand a blast so powerful. She'd cut it close, sure, but they'd make it.

They'd be okay.

No one spoke and Asami felt the tension nearly suffocate her.

The shock wave shook the Satohawk, and Asami closed her eyes, waiting for the blast to overtake them. She squeezed Korra tightly until her arms gave out and...they were okay. Asami blinked her eyes open and slowly made her way toward the back of the craft. She opened the ramp again, light splashing over the hold and...

And...

It was gone. The Boiling Rock was gone. A massive, empty pocket of air took its place, surrounded by a mile wide waterfall in a perfect circle, pouring steaming ocean water into the crater.

Asami closed the ramp. "Kuvira," she said, turning back to her.  _Swallow your pride and do what's right._  "Thank you."

Kuvira massaged her forehead and nodded.

Opal scowled at her. "Kuvira. Hey, look at me." She nudged her shoulder. "Hey!"

Kuvira looked up at her, her expression dazed. "What?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but after today...you can come to the wedding." She jabbed her finger in her face. "But only if you promise to stay on the edge of the photographs! I want to be able to fold those over."

Kuvira blinked and sat up straighter. "Thank you, Opal. You and Bolin deserve every happiness---"

Mako cleared his throat. "Opal, not to interrupt, but…Your reception is gonna have an open bar, right?"

"Absolutely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KA-BOOM! Yes, we finally get Asami on a motorcycle! It was pretty interesting to Krew action scenes without Korra, since she spends most of this chapter flying around. Hopefully that flowed for folks as well as it did for me. The command center was supposed to sort of conjure the imagery of the "War Room" from "Doctor Strangelove", but that's more just in my head. Not really much else to say about this chapter, other than I think it came out pretty well. It's certainly the most complicated sequence of action set pieces I've ever written.
> 
> Ooh, look, a bonus! http://eegahisms.tumblr.com/post/124523414159/rrau-comic-3
> 
> As always, any and all feedback is appreciated, but the fact that you got this far and are reading this little blurb is awesome on its own.


	22. Another Wedding (But Not Theirs)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami has a wonderful evening. That’s it. No, really, I’m being completely serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by thejmpr and beech27. Consulting and some guest writing by iviscrit. Special thanks to ficsandmusings for letting me borrow her OC for something awesome. 
> 
> The totally non-canon set list for the wedding can be found here (excluding the jazz numbers from the Book 1 OST): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLvwhWDo2j4fyi-Pen01cMQ6z9wJdCVsU "Atom Bomb Baby" is only there because I had a joke that I cut where Wu sang a song called "Spirit Bomb Baby". Eh? Get it? I know, it's terrible and too on the nose. They're not in the atomic age. 
> 
> And a big thank you to each and every one of you who's reading this right now. You've all been real troopers to wait since---jesus fucking christ since LATE JULY?! Why are you even reading this note?! Get to the chapter!
> 
> EDIT: 1/19/2016, thank you to iviscrit for overhauling the Beifong things so it fits better with stuff that happens later!!!
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Eleven Months after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Late Summer, 175 A.G._

 

Asami stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. The lighting was perfect, her hair just-so, her dress exquisite but not  _so_ much that she outshined the bride-to-be. Everything else was in place, if not for the frown plastered on her face.

"It's just one night. For Opal." said Korra, tying her hair up in a tight bun. "We'll have a few drinks, mingle, laugh, and before you know it…" She smiled. "We'll actually be having a good time."

 **"** I don't think a good time is going to cut it." Asami sighed into a slump. "Can we try something? Just for tonight?"

Korra hooked her arm around her and smiled in the mirror. "Anything."

Asami leaned in to her touch. "I want to pretend everything's okay. That the world's not possibly on the verge of killing itself. That we're just a couple going to a wonderful wedding." She chewed on her lip. "Just a simple, pleasant evening."

Korra kissed her on the cheek. "Then that's what we'll do."

Asami nodded and took a deep breath, pushing aside her justified paranoia and foreboding sense of dread. She smiled, just a little, and it felt right. It  _would_ be a good evening--- "...you were already doing this before I asked."

Korra answered by holding her tighter. And Asami knew why. There was a full moon the next evening. They'd...they'd deal with that in the morning. There was so much she wanted to say. So much to reassure her of---

"Stop thinking." Korra rested her finger on Asami's lips. "We're gonna have a good time, and we're not gonna think or talk about what tomorrow holds."

Asami pouted. "But what if I want to hold you?" she whined.

Korra snorted into a laugh and rested her hand against the marble counter top. "Ugh, that's  _terrible._ " She threw her arms up in the air. "Everyone, meet my girlfriend. She loves cars and trashy romance novels and---"

"And you." Asami bopped Korra on the nose with a wide grin.

"So bad." Korra bit back her laughter. "...how many people do you think we can fluster with that routine?"

Asami giggled. "Probably everyone, if you help." She bit her lip. "But we'd better not."

"Yeah, that'd get old fast."

 

* * *

 

Suyin found herself unable to settle on an expression, her lips arranged somewhere between a smile and a scowl. Her family was complete again for the first time in far too long. Baatar Jr. was with them, and for once he seemed genuinely happy. The only oddity was the locale; the pro-bending stadium's practice gyms had been converted into temporary dressing rooms, per Varrick's suggestion.

It was excessive, but at least she wasn't the one footing the bill.

However, any pros of having her eldest child back were effectively neutralized by the woman on his arm. Kuvira stood right beside him, wearing a dress that Suyin suspected had been purchased solely for the occasion. Suyin pointedly ignored the younger woman as she straightened Baatar Jr.'s tie and pulled him in for a final hug. She had missed this more than she'd realized.

"Mom," he said, voice gentle, "you're crushing my neck."

Suyin pulled away. "Sorry, Junior. I'm just so happy to have the family together again." She compressed her lips into a thin line as Kuvira adjusted Baatar Jr.'s jacket, and looked away. "Even if there  _is_  an extra..."

"I'm just glad you're here." He smiled through his evident discomfort, looking at his siblings. "And I'm glad to be back. I missed all of you every day, even if I didn't act like it."

"We missed you too, Junior," her husband said, smiling warmly. "This is the last time I'll have all my kids in the same place, and in a few hours I'll be giving away my little girl. How about we have one last hug, as a family?"

Baatar Jr. wrinkled his nose. "That's not really a Beifong family tradition..."

"Let's make it one," Wei suggested. "We can make it an indoctrination thing too---"

"Yeah!" Wing said, enthused. "Then when Bolin's a Beifong we can hug-tackle him," he added, latching onto his older brother to demonstrate.

"I'm just saying it feels forced," Baatar Jr. said as he extricated himself from the twins' arms. "Huan, doesn't it seem---"

"Not really," Huan said dispassionately. "I wouldn't worry about it. It's another mechanism to ascribe meaning to an otherwise meaningless existence, and you all do that anyway. Why not?" Baatar Jr. groaned in frustration.

"Why not?" Suyin burst out at last. "Because it's abnormal! And we're being abnormal because it's impossible to behave like a normal family when  _she's_  in the room." Kuvira pretended not to hear, turning her face away, and the look of disappointment on her son's face pricked Suyin with burgeoning regret.

One of the dressing room doors banged open within a blast of wind, slamming it into the wall and causing it to crack on contact. "Can you guys cut it out?" Opal demanded, the anger in her voice undermined by her state of dress. The dress was only halfway on, and her hair had yet to be styled. "This is the last time I'm going to repeat myself. Kuvira is here because it's  _my_ wedding, and  _I_ want her here. Bolin and I would be dead if it weren't for her. You wouldn't even have a body to bury!"

For a moment, everyone was silent.

"I'm sorry, Opal," Suyin said, outstretching her hands. "Of course it's your decision---"

"I'm not finished, Mom," she said, ignoring the interruption. "It's barely even about that. I want my brother to be happy," she said, crossing over to Baatar and clasping his shoulder. "Kuvira makes him happier than we ever could, for whatever reason. Look at his face!"

Baatar Jr. winced, ruffling her hair. "It's fine, Opal. Kuvira and I discussed this---"

"He doesn't like it when you single her out, Mom," Opal continued. "So you're going to be civil for tonight. Do it for me, or do it for Baatar, I don't care. Just don't make me say this again."

Suyin frowned. "Opal---"

"No, Mom," Opal said, tossing her head before turning on her heel, still holding the bodice of the dress around her. "No excuses." She stomped back into the dressing room.

Zhu Li popped her head out of the open doorway. "We'll be billing you for any incurred property damage. Have a wonderful evening," she added, slowly closing the door behind them.

Kuvira looked from Baatar Jr. to Suyin, her expression unchanged in its impassivity. "She looks lovely."

 

* * *

 

"...well, the shawl is supposed to project humility and intelligence, in a sense. It's also very easy to take off, without removing anything of real importance," mused Asami as they drove through the city, weaving in and out of traffic in a way that wasn't  _entirely_ legal. She wasn't sure how they got on the topic of her wardrobe, but then conversation was an abstract art. "Here, imagine me with my shawl on."

"...just the shawl?"

"Is that something you'd want to try?"

Korra tapped her chin. "Mmmm, no. Sounds like it'd just be awkward for you."

Asami imagined how they'd actually be intimate with---oh, no that wouldn't work at all. The buttons would snap off and just...not even the fun kind of complicated. "Probably. Okay, now with everything else."

"Got it."

"Without the shawl."

Korra nodded. "It's more...powerful, I guess? More commanding. It's shows you're serious."

Asami smiled. "That's the idea. It's almost a physical threat as it is a psychological one." She rolled her fingers along the back of the steering wheel and merged right. "...though the physical one rarely comes into play. Unless I'm down in one of the factories, but, well, you've seen that."

"I never knew you put this much thought into what you wear. I mean, I knew, just not in this way."

"I didn't until my old publicist pointed out the necessity of it. The business world all but demands it, though I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. Really stretches the creative parts of the brain." Asami shifted up and merged on to the highway, driving above a large patch of spirit vines. "Think I'm gonna go with something a little different soon, though."

"Oh?"

Asami gave her a sidelong glance. "What would you say about boots, a dark vest, a tie, red jodhpurs and a pink button down?"

Korra raised her brows. "Yes please."

Asami chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind...then…" she trailed off.

Her jaw dropped as they pulled off of the highway, finally getting a good look at the probending stadium. Varrick had rented it out for both the reception and the ceremony, and she'd known that.

But not that he'd invited  _the entire city._

Spot lights swiped through the dark, cloudy sky above the bright yellow glow of the stadium. Hundreds of satomobiles were corralled into the parking lots, and Asami could even spot large ferries dropping guests off at the dock.

"I...uh…" Korra cleared her throat. "I forgot Opal was basically a princess. And that Bolin is just as famous as I am…"

"Yeah. Me too." She wrinkled her nose. "So...wait, doesn't that mean he's dated  _three_?"

"It was one date, but yes, I guess so." Korra shrugged. "Now all Mako needs to do is go out with...whoever the Fire Princess is and they'll have the full set."

Asami laughed. "I think she might be a little out of his league."

Korra responded with a blank stare.

"...realized it the moment I said it."

 

* * *

 

"Lin Beifong."

The bouncer meticulously checked each page of his large, incredibly thick clipboard. “Not seeing it.”

Lin pinched the bridge of her nose. "My name is Beifong. Same as the bride. Opal is my niece."

"Anyone can claim that, ma’am."

"I'm the Chief of Police. Responsible for saving the president more times thank you likely can count, and the backbone of our entire federal defense and criminal justice system. Surely you’ve seen my face in the _multiple_ photographs featured in _various_ news publications."

"I don’t read the news,” the bouncer intoned, checking through his clipboard again. “Too depressing, nowadays…”

Lin scowled, her patience exhausted. "I've been doing this for more than thirty years, and if you had more than sand for brains, you’d know who your chief of police is." She jabbed a finger into his protruding stomach. "Now let me enter my niece's wedding or I'll---"

"Hey! Daru!" said Kya, hopping out of the crowd and patting the man’s shoulder. "It’s been ages! How are you?"

The bouncer laughed and pulled Kya in for a large hug. "Way too long! You here for the wedding?"

Kya grinned and sidled up to Lin. "Don’t I look the part?"

"Can't argue with that. I’d love to catch up properly, but this woman--” he jerked a thumb in Lin’s direction-- “is insisting she’s invited, but I can’t find her name on the guest list. Gotta deal with the situation first.”

Kya slipped an arm around Lin’s waist and dragged her forward, a new mischief in her eyes. “She’s my plus-one, Daru. Be a dear and let us into the party.”

The bouncer’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, why didn’t you just say so?” he said, glancing at Lin and speaking with exaggerated friendliness. “Go on in.”  

Kya winked at the man before whisking inside, Lin in tow. "Let me guess: you arrested him for something a very long time ago, so this inconvenience is really some kind of revenge. Aren’t you glad I was here to save the day?"

"I'm pretty sure he used to be an Equalist." Lin snatched her hand away. "Why are you here, Kya?"

Kya smiled and rested a hand on her hip. "Why do you think? Su invited me!"

Lin scowled. “And not me?”

"She was worried the burns on your back hadn't healed," Kya suggested.

"My back is fine."

"Or that you'd be all by your bitter self---"

"I'm not bitter."

"---the entire evening, and that’s no fun for any of us."

Lin sighed. "This is my niece's wedding. I can hardly miss it. Frankly, I’m offended that Su thought I would, after all we’ve been through in these last few years."

"Oh Lin, don’t be so sensitive. You know, your mom is here."

Lin snorted. "That’s rich, Kya…” And then she frowned, because Kya wasn’t laughing "...she actually is in attendance?"

"What else would I mean? She was invited, Lin."

"Whatever." Lin rolled her eyes and marched across the red carpet toward the entrance, ignoring the flashbulbs going off in her face, before she froze. "Invited? So you people expect me to believe that my blind mother, who lives in a swamp, in the middle of enemy territory, received an invitation? How would it even reach her? Who would even _read_ it to her?"

Kya caught up and hooked her arm through Lin’s, much against her will. "C'mon, Lin, this is supposed to be a celebration! Let's talk about something happy. Isn't it wonderful that Opal's getting married? Don’t you just love love?"

"Sure." Lin yanked her arm away, sighing in resignation when Kya took hold again. "You still don’t understand personal space, do you."

"Absolutely not. And after all, you’re my plus-one. Come on, be a good date and help me exploit the open bar."

Lin felt a prick of interest for the first time that evening. "There's an open bar?"

 

* * *

 

"...but through two wars, multiple continents, and facing death itself, these two have managed to find what so many others never do," said Mako, reading a little stiffly off of the script he kept peeking at. Asami knew he wasn't one for public speaking, but he was putting in a valiant effort, and if anything it felt more honest than heartfelt this way. He might stumble, but he meant every word.

The stage was small, comparatively. Just a simple raised platform on top of Zone 3. In true Varrick fashion, mover cameras were capturing the moment from the stands at as many angles as possible, but they stayed out of the way. It had been a long time coming.

Bolin looked fantastic in his tuxedo, but standing across from him, hand in hand...Opal outshined everyone in the room. And there were  _at least_ three hundred people there. Her dress was stunning. Floor length white with silver frills and patterning. Something so simple, yet so elegant all the same.

"You can, uh, probably guess that I'm talking about love," added Mako with an anxious smirk. The crowd chuckled and he seemed to relax. "Everyone else might be going insane, but my brother and Opal, whom I've come to love like a sister---they've proven that even in the most extreme circumstances, they can make it work. And I think that sets a pretty great example for all of us."

Korra choked up beside her and covered her mouth with her hands with a small gasp. Asami smiled wider and wrapped their fingers together.

"It's not just love, though. It's---it's dedication. It's conviction. It's trust and compassion, no matter how bad things get." Mako shifted through his cards and cleared his throat. "I---uh, can't think of anyone else that…" He rubbed his eyes and sniffed, trailing off. He took a deep breath, smiled as wide as could be, and didn't bother to wipe the tears slowly falling down his cheeks. "Bo, mom and dad would be  _so_ proud of you. They might not be here anymore, but they'd love Opal, too."

Bolin nodded and bit down on his lip. "I know."

"Right. So, they've got vows, but they're both better at this presentation stuff, so…" Mako chuckled. "They have both requested that I step out of the way so they can do it themselves." The crowd snickered as he backed away from the almost-newlyweds.

Bolin looked into one another's eyes for a what seemed like a very long time. The silence wasn't awkward, though. It was comfortable. Serene. And when he bent down to kiss her, and the crowd cheered, it clicked for Asami.

They didn't need to say a word. They'd already been married for a long time. Her heart swelled. That wasn't a United Republic tradition, as far as she knew. Nor a Zaofu or Earth Kingdom one. It was Southern Water Tribe.

Fireworks shot off through the open arena's open skylight, popping far above them in a brilliant mix of greens and whites. Varrick slid a paper bag down at the newlywed's feet and Bolin gave him a very confused look.

"You're supposed to smash it!" said Varrick. "It's a glass bottle! New tradition I thought up for you two. Supposed to ward off bad stuff and dark spirits!"

Opal laughed and shrugged. "Why not? It can't hurt, right?"

"And I  _do_ love being first," said Bolin. On the count of three, they both smashed their feet down on to the paper bag. They kissed again and Asami couldn't stop smiling.

 

* * *

 

"...and then the band shows up!" said Opal, her grin reaching her ears. "And it's five in the morning, so remember Bolin's been parading me around the entire city, all night, and I'm just exhausted, but we're in the park…" She waves her glass of wine around. "...and the Spirit Portal's natural light comes through the vines, and it's beautiful, everything goes silent. Except him, and the music, this little sweet jazz number you've got to listen to---is it on the set list? For the band?" she asked Bolin.

"Absolutely! Varrick thought of everything!" Bolin sighed. "...even hiring the same band.  _Again."_

"You can't be serious." Asami raised a brow and looked across the packed stadium. The entire stage had been hastily converted for a ceremony, and then just as quickly reset into a large, open banquet hall. Hundreds of people milled about, many of whom she'd...probably met at some social function, at some point, but they didn't quite matter. No, what did matter was that the band was setting up, near the back of the raised platform above Zone 3.

Tahno and the Formers, featuring Wu as lead vocals.

"I thought they were pretty good, last time we heard them," Korra said into her glass.

Asami laughed. "That would be because we were making out behind Shiro's booth."

"Then I guess they just…" She made a throwaway gesture back towards the drink. Not hers, but the one at the bottom of the stadium. "Added to the ambiance."

Opal smirked. "I'm pretty sure that was from all of the excitement. We own a reel of that, you know."

"So does everyone else. Now c'mon, you stopped the story!"

"No, that was the end of it, sadly." She held out her left hand and smiled. "But you know the rest better than most, Korra."

Korra smiled.

Asami carefully took Opal's hand and inspected the ring. She narrowed her eyes at the inscription. "May our love be stubborn and true; unclouded and eternal." She tilted her head and looked between the three of them. "Who came up with that? It's beautiful."

Bolin not-so-humbly raised his hand. "That would be me."

"It's silver infused platinum," said Opal. "Bendable, but...not too much."

"Also my idea."

Varrick skidded up beside Bolin and wrapped his arms around the newlyweds, his bright blue suit somehow sparkling in the stadium lighting. "Hey hey! How are my third and seventh favorite people doing?" He wrinkled his nose. "Come to think of it, now that you two are married, I should really just average that…"

Opal rolled her eyes. "I'm the seven. Wait, when did I become seven? I was twentieth a few months ago!"

"That was before this big guy proposed!"

Bolin cleared his throat. "Yeah, about that---remember how we said we wanted something  _small._ Oh, and by the way, that glass bottle? It was already broken! _"_

"Forget about the bottle," said Varrick, waving his arms. "And yup, I do remember you wanting it small. Didn't do it. Made an executive decision." He poked Bolin in the forehead. "Your wedding has to be the party of the  _decade!_ End of story. Waaaaaay better than mine, because apparently that's how philanthropy works! Still getting the hang of it." He winked at Asami. "Crazy business, giving money away. Right, Asami?"

"Not really. It's all tax deductible, and it's good for everyone involved---hey, wait, don't deflect the topic!" Asami narrowed her eyes. "The last party you threw turned into a warzone. At my house."

"...yeah, come to think of it, the last time you hosted an event here, you---" said Korra.

" _Allegedly,"_ said Varrick.

"---tried to kidnap Raiko," added Opal.

Bolin clapped his hands together. "Who I saved, cannot believe we got that on film---yeah, and even before that the Equalists attacked during the 170 championship."

Varrick huffed and waved his arms around. "I hear what you're saying, but all of you are forgetting one very important difference between those shindigs and this one!" He snapped his fingers. " _This_  is a wedding!"

"The last one  _was_  pretty great…" said Korra, her eyes wandering around the crowd. They widened, and Asami followed her gaze. There was Mako, in a finely pressed suit, his arm around...an attractive woman's waist? Clearly of Fire Nation descent, looked a little older than him. Simple, elegant dark red dress. "Wow. Check out Mako's date," said Korra "Quite a plus one he's got, huh?"

Bolin and Opal raised their brows and exchanged a confused look. "Uhhh, yeah. She sure is…?" said Bolin.

Asami screwed up her face and took another sip of her wine. "What, is that not his date? Or...is that one of---no, I  _know_ who lives in my house, and that isn't one of your cousins."

Opal chuckled awkwardly. "You're serious. You have no idea who that is?"

Korra shrugged. "Nope. I mean, she looks kinda familiar, but other than that---wait should I? Should  _we_?"

Bolin slapped his forehead. "Yeah, I would hope so! You really kinda should. They've been dating for like six months. So, kinda important information."

Asami blanched and guzzled down the rest of her wine. How could she have been so self absorbed? Sure, she'd been busy, and they hadn't seen Mako as much as Bolin and Opal, but he was always so busy! With...with cop things! She snatched two more glasses off a server's tray as he passed and handed one off to Korra. "Well. This is incredibly awkward."

Korra frowned and swirled her glass. "...maybe he didn't want to tell us? But that's not like him." She looked between Bolin and Opal. "What---when did Varrick leave?"

"That's not important." Asami covered her face "I don't suppose it would be out of the question to ask for a crash course on---"

Opal huffed. "Her name's Harumi. She's a cop."

Asami considered that for a moment and tapped her lips. "That makes sense."

"What makes sense?" asked Mako.

Asami straightened her back and smiled. "Your new suit." Which was true. It fit him rather well.

Mako raised a brow. "Thank you?"

"You're welcome."

Harumi cleared her throat. "I apologize if we interrupted something private. I can go get some more drinks if you need more time."

Korra shook her head and waved her hands a little too much, wine splashing on to the floor. "No, no, no, no, no, you're not interrupting anything! In fact it's, uh, great to meet you!" She forced a grin. "Mako has told us  _so_ much about you."

Asami nodded enthusiastically. "All of it positive, I promise."

"Seriously?" Mako shot them both an unamused look. "Guys, there are regulations against workplace relationships, and we didn't want to tell anyone until we were sure that it was…"

Harumi snickered and patted his chest. "That it was something worth filling out the paperwork for."

Korra slumped into a frown. "Then how come Bolin got to know?"

"He's my brother. Look, it wasn't anything personal. It could have been a fling, okay?" He sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, Beifong found out---"

Bolin put his hand to his ear. "I'm sorry,  _which_ Beifong are you referring to? Because there are two right in front of you."

Mako smiled. "I guess there are, huh."

"The point is that we had to fill out this massive stack of paperwork," said Harumi. "Three times."

Asami smirked. "She caught you two in a closet, didn't she?"

"What? No!" sputtered Mako. "She could tell from our heart rates, or something. I don't know---her seismic sense thing."

Korra crooked her lips to the side. "Well, I guess that's okay." She looked at Harumi. "I'm sorry, but...have we met before? You look familiar."

"We have, though I didn't think you'd remember. I've met all four of you, actually."

Asami tilted her head. "Really?"

Harumi nodded. "I was one of the officers you saved during the Equalist Uprising."

"You're gonna have to narrow that down," said Korra.

"There were mecha-tanks?"

"Little more."

"Someone crashed their car into two of them."

Korra, Mako and Bolin exchanged glances. "Asami," they said in unison.

Asami chuckled. What were the odds? "Well, it's nice to meet you again, then. Hopefully this time we can exchange a few more words."

Harumi hummed. "...actually, now that you bring it up, we've spoken before."

"We have?"

"Just over the phone. You called emergency services and---"

"Wait." Asami blinked and that particular memory came flooding back. Her home invasion, the fire, Mako on his satocycle, her obliterated house, the RCPD's terrible response time. She balled her hands into fists. "No, I remember now."  _Calm down. It will be an easy, wonderful evening, but only if you let it._ "You'll have to excuse me for a few moments. I have to use the ladies room."

She nodded. "Of course."

Korra fidgeted. "Yeah, me too."

Asami waved her off. "Korra, it's fine. I'll be right back."

Korra set their glasses on a passing tray and grabbed Asami by the arm toward the bathroom. "No, I  _really do_ have to go."

"Oh. All right, then.  _Go_  go? Or just...go."

Korra's face blanked. "I...which is which? Oh, uhm, no, the second one."

Asami snorted. "You're adorable."

 

* * *

 

"At least mingling is out of the question," Kuvira murmured. The other guests were giving Baatar and herself a wide berth, though the looks thrown their way bore more curiosity than fear or disgust. It was an improvement. A larger improvement than she'd hoped for.

"I'm sure they'll be more receptive once they've had a few drinks," said Baatar. He nodded to the stage. "The wedding portraits came out nicely, I think. Maybe Opal won't fold them over, after all."

"Maybe." Kuvira followed his line of sight, watching the newlyweds. They were laughing, their arms intertwined when Bolin wasn't waving his around in enthusiasm. Their joy was almost contagious, as they awkwardly and charmingly struggled through their first dance, the band having struck up a sweet, flowing tune. She felt herself smiling for the first time since they'd escaped the Boiling Rock, thinking back on the nights spent dancing with Baatar during their joint military campaign, and realized her eyes were wet.

It could have been them. It would have been, a little more than a year ago.

She felt Baatar's fingers brush hers, and as she looked up at him she pulled her hand away. "This could have been us," she said, forcing the tremors from her limbs and voice. "This  _should_  have been us."

"I know," he said, reaching for her hand again. "I've been thinking the same thing."

"I'm sorry," she said, the frank admission finally feeling like the most natural thing in the world. "I know you wanted this for a long time, Baatar. And I don't expect us to ever go back to how we were, after everything I did, but it means the world to me that you---"

"It's fine," he said, his hand finding its old place at the small of her back. "Really, it's fine. I think you've ruined me for anyone else, to be completely honest."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"That's supposed to be my way of saying that I'll always love you," he corrected. "You used to be better at understanding me."

"We're different people now," Kuvira said quietly. "I spent months thinking you were dead, you know. Sometimes I think this is all a dream, or that I've done too much for you to ever fully forgive me. Su certainly is justified in how she feels about me, so I'll understand if you don't want---"

His free hand was at her chin, he was tipping her head back, and then he was kissing her. It was quick, his nose brushing hers and his hands less steady than she remembered, but when he pulled back the smile in his eyes instantly set her at ease. "I want to try again," he said. "When all of this is over, I want to try again."

She smiled, closing the gap between them as she pulled him into a hug, closing her eyes as she felt him press a kiss to her hair. " _If_  we both make it out alive, you mean."

"Always the realist."

"Always the idealist," she retorted, releasing him and taking his arm again. She had half-expected him to sigh, but instead he returned her smile. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Baatar glanced away, and she was reminded of their days in Zaofu, before ambitions became unwieldy and duty outweighed love. "Because you know me so well, even now."

"That's not an impressive observation, Baatar," she said dismissively.

"Maybe to you," he said, pulling her with him towards the twins, who were beckoning from across the stage.

"What, so is this another 'you know me' sort of thing?"

"Exactly." Their fingers interlaced as if by their own volition. "You understand me."

"Almost like we never stopped?"

"Almost."

"Hm," she said, her lips curving in a small smile. A waiter passed them with a tray full of champagne flutes and, for only a moment, she sensed something malleable. Not quite earth and not quite metal. "I think your brothers are growing impatient," she said, pushing the odd sensation out of her mind.

"Then let's not keep them waiting any longer."

 

* * *

 

Asami waited outside the bathroom, which was thankfully atypical of what she'd normally find in the probending stadium. Spotless and clean. Not that she minded the grime personally, but her dress certainly did. Dry cleaning wasn't free.

She took a deep breath and smiled at the other guests as they passed by, though few of them actually made eye contact. It wasn't Harumi's fault the RCPD had caused her nothing but frustration for years, so there was no reason to be angry with her. Well, there was also the matter that she was seeing Mako, so having some sort of irrational grudge against her would only strain their friendship unnecessarily.

Which wasn't something she wanted, or needed, to rehash.

"Crazy party, huh?"

Asami turned and chuckled at who she saw. Ginni, her old publicist, settled against the wall beside her, keeping her bag close to her skirt-suit. "It's a Varrick party. They're like that," she said with a smile. "How are you?"

"As good as one can be in times like these." Ginni shrugged, adjusting her glasses. "Not quite the end of the world, you know. But, everyone's temperament changed. Other than that, pretty good. Yourself?"

"Would you believe fantastic?"

Ginni snorted. "No."

"I thought as much. I'm well, though." She raised a brow. "What are you even doing here? Did Varrick somehow invite you along with the rest of the city?"

"Something like that…" She winked.

Asami stared blankly at her. "I'm not entirely sure what you're insinuating."

Ginni rolled her eyes. "I bribed the bouncer."

"Oh. Can I ask why?"

"Freelance work. This thing is being marketed as the party of the century, or decade, maybe, and there are a  _lot_ of people who are going to make some very stupid mistakes tonight. Simpler, less insane jobs." She tilted her head. "Though hopefully, you and your girlfriend won't be among them."

Asami held up her palm. "You don't need to worry about us. We can manage ourselves just fine in public."

Ginni furrowed her brow and tapped her chin. "... _can_ you, though?" She dug through her back and pulled out a notebook.

Asami's shoulders slumped. "You have  _got_ to be kidding me." She pinched the bridge of her nose. Where was Korra? Did she somehow get stuck in the bathroom? "Really? Right now?"

"Don't tell me you're not the least bit curious as to the status of your public image."

"I'm well aware of what it is, thank you. I  _have_ a publicist."

"That you don't speak with very often."

Asami looked at the ceiling.

"I thought as much." Ginni adjusted her glasses. "Look if it bothers you that much, I'll drop it, but you should know that I only kept track of it all because I care." She waved Asami off. "As a  _friend._ Also it's just really interesting. Fate of the world, that kind of thing."

"I know." Asami chewed on her lip. "No, just…" She reluctantly held out her hand. "Give me the notebook. I'll read it later. This is supposed to be my  _one_ night of peace, and I can't imagine there's much in there that's actually positive."

Ginni flipped through her notebook. "You'd be surprised. The press surrounding the Satohawk has been almost entirely positive." She showed Asami several pages filled with notes and articles cut out from newspapers. "It's hard to hate something that can put out a fire, rescue people from buildings, help with construction,  _and_ act as emergency transport for those in dire need of medical attention."

"And yet they're being purchased in mass quantities by militaries." Asami crooked her lips to the side. "Look, Ginni, this is very thoughtful, and I do appreciate it, but I don't need a reminder of every mistake I've made in the past fourteen months."

"That's oddly specific." Ginni hummed. "Counterpoint: What was it you said? At that  _clearly_ staged accidental concert appearance?" She flipped through her notebook.

Asami chuckled awkwardly. "...that really  _was_ an accident, actually."

Ginni snorted into a laugh. "Seriously? Oh, that's perfect. Ah! Found it." She tapped a scribbled line. "And I quote 'You have my solemn vow that I will rebuild our city again, bigger and stronger than it was before. And I will stop at nothing to ensure that we will never suffer like this ever again.' For what it's worth, you've already done about half of that. So, not all mistakes."

Asami smiled a little. "Yeah. I guess I have. I feel like there's a 'but' in here, though---"

"But---"

"---and there it is---"

"---you've also been ignoring the near constant rioting and protests, downtown, not to mention the Jingdao border. The extreme build-up of military forces in every nation, not to mention that Kuvira's old regime is still operating at full capacity thanks to Ba Sing Se's industrialization, which is rumored to now have a navy. Then there's the spike in anti-government rebel factions all over the world..."

"I've been busy! The Spirit Vines take priority. I shouldn't have to explain why."

"Not to me, but to the press…" Ginni wiggled her hand. "You might want to spoon feed that to them more than you already are. They can be forgetful and don't always pay attention." She closed her notebook. "Hardly ever, in fact. As I'm sure you've noticed, the media's rolling around like a rabid hog-monkey right now, which is good for business." She gave Asami a sad smile. "I really liked this line of work better when everyone wasn't accusing everyone else of being a Red Lotus agent."

Asami flattened her lips into a thin line. "Right. Well, it's understandable. Fear makes a person jump to irrational conclusions. And I'm  _aware_ of the riots and protests. And everything else. I just..." She cleared her throat, once again wondering what could possibly be taking Korra so long. "Had...more important things to address, as I've already said. I can't do  _everything._ "

"No, but the things you  _have_ done notably did not include installing a new government for the...uhm…" She snapped her fingers.

"Earth Confederacy. Federation. Kingdom. Nation. Republic.  _Thing._ Take your pick, nobody knows. It's all been very unclear." She huffed. "And what would I have to do with that in the first place?"

"You've got a lot of political clout. People listen, and it could push them in the right direction for that nation's future."

"For the name.  _Maybe._ " Asami looked from side to side and leaned in. "We've actually got a betting pool going on that."

Ginni pulled back and screwed up her face. "That's...almost morbid. Which reminds me: Kuvira signing herself over to the United Republic? I knew Raiko was desperate, but that's just ridiculous. Not to mention a massive violation of human rights, that no one with any code of ethics would legally authorize or document."

Asami paled. How had that leaked? What kind of idiot would start spreading that information around? "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Your lawyer's been making waves about it in the many legal circles I have friends in, so I think that you do."

"Lawyer? What lawyer---oh,  _Varrick's_ lawyer." She rolled her eyes. "That doesn't surprise me. He loved the sound of his own voice."

"That's what I've heard, but he's been very...adamant about getting this 'farcical injustice removed', so he's probably not as egocentric as he seemed." Ginni shrugged. "The next few weeks are going to be very interesting in that department, at least legally. I doubt it'll make front page news." She waved her off. "You know how these things work.

"Unfortunately, I do."

Ginni handed Asami her notebook. "In any case, I think I've made my point. Read it or don't, that's up to you." She turned to leave, but stopped. "One last thing, though. Play up how you were instrumental in defeating the Red Lotus. It's not every day that you save the world, so don't waste it."

Asami blinked. Defeated them? Impossible. Crippled them, at best. But...no, well it was certainly possible. That base had been massive, with a full compliment of soldiers and vehicles. Maybe they  _had_ crushed them. "I won't. Thank you. And it was good to see you again."

Ginni smiled, nodded, and vanished back into the crowd.

Korra walked out of the bathroom and settled next to Asami. "So…" She clapped her hands together. "Turns out that roasted pig-chicken I had for lunch didn't agree with me. What did I miss?"

Asami snorted. "Ran into...an ex, sort of."

Korra grinned. "Was he good looking?"

"She, and yes, but that's not important." Asami put the notebook in her bag and raised a brow at Korra. "And since when have you  _ever_ had issues with digestion? Just last week you ate an entire tiger-seal like it was nothing."

"Yeah, I lied." Korra rubbed her arm. "I was talking to Raava in the Spirit World. I had a lot of stuff on my mind about...things, even though I know we're supposed to not be---well, you know. And I didn't want to ruin the evening by dumping it all on you, since these aren't really questions you have answers to…"

Asami stared silently at Korra. Her next few words were key. Sure, it hurt a little that there were still some Avatar things that she felt more comfortable sharing with Raava than herself, but it wasn't as if she hadn't accepted that reality long ago. But, really, the most important thing she had to remember at that moment was to  _not_ think about...the next day. Or call attention to it.

At all.

"Uhm. Asami?"

"Korra, I need you to be completely honest with me."

"Okay."

"Did you meditate on the toilet?"

"...yes."

"I knew it!" Asami snorted into a loud laugh and hugged Korra. She grabbed her cheeks and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I love you  _so_  much, you are impossibly cute; let's go get drunk."

 

* * *

 

Lin sniffed her champagne flute suspiciously before taking a tentative sip. Kya had run off to get more drinks and appetizers, but she couldn’t help but wonder if Kya had spiked the hors d’oeuvres and alcohol with something...potent. Despite her suspicions, she grudgingly had to admit to herself that Kya was making the party and the mingling infinitely more bearable. Fun, even. What did it matter if Kya kept calling it a date?

A white bun was bobbing towards her through the crowd, and Lin drained her glass before crossing her arms. "Couldn't have dressed up for your granddaughter's wedding?"

"That’s no way to greet your mother. Be happy I washed my feet for the occasion. I live in a swamp."

"How did you even get the invitation?” Lin wondered aloud, giving up when Toph merely smiled. “How did you even cross the border? Burrowed under the border wall?”

“What else?” the old woman scoffed. “Which idiot designed that thing? At least the walls in Ba Sing Se went several feet deep. Don’t tell my my own grandson is responsible for such sloppy work…”

Lin shrugged. "Apparently the new ones out there are made of steel."

"Courtesy of that Kuvira, I know." Toph frowned. “Are she and Junior still…?”

"Something like that,” Lin said, making a dismissive gesture and surveying the crowd. "Those two men over there. One's 5'10, the other 6'1. Bet you five yuans they go home together."

Toph chuckled. "You remember this game? You were never very good at it."

"I've had time to practice, and I have to admit it did teach me a lot about how to see with my feet..."

"Of course it did! Who do you think came up with it?" Toph snorted. "And don't think I didn't notice that those two are married. I'm blind, not senile."

Lin waved Kya over as she maneuvered herself through the crowd. "Just making sure you still got it. They aren't wearing any rings."

Toph groaned. "Yes! I know! Nowadays with those stupid statement rings, heartbeat is an even better indicator. Hello, Kya." She wrinkled her nose and snorted into a single laugh. "Don’t get your hopes up, kid."

Kya raised a brow. "Hey, Toph." She turned to Lin. "What's she laughing about?"

"She thinks we'll end up in bed tonight."

Kya sighed. "Toph! I told you to stop that, it’s so invasive."

Toph shrugged. "I'm old. I forget things. I can’t help it if you all make everything so obvious. How’s Katara?”

"She's doing well, thanks for asking."

"Good. Give her my best when you get back home, okay?"

Kya smiled. "Of course. You know, you could always visit---"

"That frozen wasteland? It isn’t worth the boat ride to get there. I’ll pass.”

 

* * *

 

Mako scratched the back of his head and awkwardly nursed his drink. "It's...really not as impressive as it sounds." He cleared his throat and looked at the ceiling, away from Korra and Asami. And everyone else in the massive room.

Korra tapped her chin and leaned back on one foot. "Hmmm…" She downed the rest of her drink and signaled the bartender for another. "Harumi. Is this true?"

Harumi shook her head. "He's just being excessively modest. Sweetie, go on, tell the story."

Asami nodded. "Please. We almost never get to hear any of your cop stories! It's a shame."

Mako sighed and smiled slightly. "All right, all right. I just feel like it's bragging."

"It's not if we want to know, Mako."

"Good point." He cleared his throat. "Okay, you guys remember that fancy skyscraper they were building on the upper west side?"

"Nakatomi Tower?" asked Asami. "Cabbage Corp's new headquarters, if memory serves."

"That's the one."

"I remember reading about the plans for it a couple years ago. State of the art security, platinum inserts in the walls, and somehow the city allowed them to mount lightning cannons on the roof just before they finished it."

Korra grabbed her drink and handed the second to Asami. "Why would Cabbage Corp need that much security, much less something that shoots planes out of the sky?"

Mako chuckled. "See, I thought the same thing when Harumi and I were at their grand opening party."

"My younger sister works for Cabbage Corp," said Harumi, wincing as soon as the words left her mouth. "She's---she's in between jobs, and really hated it there. Now, especially."

Asami shrugged and sipped at her drink. "I don't care, but I'm glad she's getting out of that backwards place. I'd buy them out if I wasn't so worried their factories would just explode at random." She rested her hand on her chest. "But excuse me, that's not part of the story. Mako, go on. Don't let us stop you."

"Yeah, right," said Mako. "Okay, anyway, we're maybe fifteen minutes into the party before this group of terrorists barges in, sets of the security system, locking us all in, and takes the entire party hostage."

Korra coughed up her drink and paled. "Wh---what?! When did this happen?! Are you okay? Why have I not heard of this?!"

Asami raised her brows.

Mako winced. "Well, it sorta happened the same night of those...spirit bombings, so...the media just kinda glossed over it. For the most part. And then you got arrested…" He shrugged. "Wasn't front page news anymore."

Korra held out her palms. "Wait, wait, wait. So you mean to tell me that you had this huge cop adventure---"

"I wouldn't call it that."

"---just off in the background? And didn't think to tell us?"

Mako huffed. "You got arrested! And you've got more important things to worry about."

"You could have  _died,_ Mako," said Asami. "Clearly, the both of you are fine but...wait, if the walls were…" She furrowed her brow. "Did the police cut their way through the platinum?"

"They tried. But the support beams were lined with explosives, and every other entrance was booby-trapped. And nobody else in the building was a cop, or even a ready combatant, so…"

Asami gaped. "You...took down an entire group of terrorists. On your own."

"Yup. Actually, they just turned out to be thieves after this huge cache of gold in the safe on the top floor, but that's not important."

Korra grinned. "Uh uh, no, I need details! Give me details! This is  _way_ too cool for me not to know about. Start from the top!"

Mako leaned back in his chair. "It's a long story. Are you sure---"

"YES!"

 

* * *

 

Bolin lead his grandmother by the hand and forced a smile. It was the moment he'd been dreading and basically terrified of for a very, very long time. But, he and Opal were already married, had been for about an hour, so it was pretty unlikely that they could change that. Wait, could they? No, of course not.

Still, though. Scary. But not as scary as it could have been! Toph wasn't alone. Lin and Kya were there, too. Which was...sort of better? He had no idea. Opal gave him a reassuring look and gestured them forward.

"Grandma Yin, I'd like you to meet someone very special," said Bolin, smiling even wider. "This is Opal's grandmother. Toph."

Opal scooched Toph near Grandma Yin with a far more composed smile. "Grandma Toph, this is Yin."

Grandma Yin smiled wide. "It's wonderful to finally meet you! You have such a lovely family." She held her palms together. "Your granddaughter especially!"

Toph scowled, cocking her head to the side. "She’s staring at me. Opal, why are the in-laws staring at me?"

Bolin eeped as he realized just how exactly right Toph was. Korra, Asami, Mako, Harumi, the rest of the Beifongs, Tenzin and his family...really, everyone important except for Varrick and Zhu Li all had their eyes glued to what was supposed to be a very simple act. Bolin's posture collapsed and...slid over to Opal's side. He'd just have to watch.

"They're just happy for us, grandma," said Opal.

"Sweetie, don’t lie to me," said Toph. "But, it's fine, I suppose." She turned to Yin. "It doesn’t feel right to tell you how annoying your grandson was, the first time I met him. Well, it would feel great, but it wouldn’t be right. I’ll say this much: he’s a talented young man and he makes our Opal happy. I think that’s enough. Welcome to the family, in-law.”

Yin positively beamed. "More than enough! What an honor--”

Toph snorted. “If you want to look at it that way, sure.”

The entire room shared a collective sigh of relief and Bolin kissed Opal’s cheek. "Yay!"

Opal smiled back. "Told you there was nothing to worry about."

Varrick came marching toward them across the stage, dragging the very confused couple of Baatar Jr. and Kuvira along with him. "Isn’t this touching? Sorry to cut in and ruin this beautiful family moment, but I just realized that we haven't taken a big fancy photograph of the bride and groom…" He settled Kuvira and Baatar one the edge of their little meeting circle. "...and both of their entire extended family that may or may not be estranged!"

Bolin made a face as he was scooted into the center, taking Opal along with him. "Varrick, I really don't think this is the time for---"

"Don't worry, kid. I know what I'm doing. Planned for it and everything," he whispered not even remotely subtley in his ear. "Zhu Li!" yelled Varrick. "Let's gather the family!"

In what felt like seconds, Mako, Harumi, (which was a bold move for his brother) every single one of his cousins and all the Beifongs, were not-so-kindly assembled together in one big line of people with him and Opal at the center. Family members seemed to zip in and out of place. They vanished from one end of the platform and popped up a few feet away in the blink of an eye.

Zhu Li carried a large, odd looking camera in front of them and unfolded its stand, setting it up in way that looked way more complex than necessary. She stepped in front of the camera with a small smile. "I'm happy to inform all of you that the photograph we'll be taking will be one of the first to ever be developed in color."

Bolin raised a brow. "You mean like the mover cameras?"

"Don't those consistently explode?" asked Baatar Jr.

Kuvira nodded. "I'm fairly certain that they burn in odd colors as well."

"Not anymore they don't!" Varrick slid up behind the camera and adjusted a few dials while Zhu Li scooted out of the way. "And if they somehow do, we've got dozens, no hundreds of extras. Just about to enter mass production, but all...forty-or-so of you get to be first."

Opal sighed. "I'm not going to be standing here all night just to---"

"Too late! Everybody smile!"

Bolin smiled as wide as he could and blinked through the camera flash. He turned to look at the rest of his family, his heart swelling as he remembered, for the fiftieth time that evening, that it was both sides, and saw not a single frown. Even Toph was smiling. It seemed too good to be true, a perfect moment in a perfect night--

And then the bar's entire stock of glasses crumbled into tiny shards. Bolin gaped and did a double take, checking around to make sure everyone else had seen that. "Uh, Varrick…"

Varrick grinned and patted the camera on the 'head'. "See? Works perfect!"

"Yeah, is it supposed to shatter glass?" he said, pointing toward the bar.

Varrick wrinkled his nose. "What are you talking about?" He turned around and hopped backward, nearly knocking over the camera stand if not for Zhu Li's masterful reflexes. "Nope. No, that is...not supposed to happen."

Zhu Li folded up the camera and eyed a few dumbstruck waiters as they walked their way back to the bar, trays filled with alcohol trapped behind melted, and then frozen, glass. "Dear, I think it's spreading." She frowned as the camera's lens dripped down on to her shoulder.

Varrick clicked his tongue and clapped his hands together. "Right. Well, great job Beifongs! And...other people. On the bright side…" He gestured wildly to the broken camera. "Film? Perfectly okay! So we'll just go get that developed and not bill you for any of this."

Bolin watched in confusion as the two of them sprinted out of the room and scratched the back of his head. "Huh." He turned to Kuvira and Baatar, who were oddly not at the edge of the group. "Hey, how'd you two get so close?"

"Because Varrick is overbearing," said Lin. “How else?”

“My apologies,” Kuvira said, genuinely contrite. “Why don’t you all take another? I’ll stay out of the way--”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Su said coldly. “Opal, dear-- you and Bolin stand in the center again--”

Opal waved her mother away. "No, no, it's---I don't care. I really just don't have the patience or time or energy to care about all of that right now."

"Mission accomplished!" said Varrick, sprinting past them and gathering up all the melted glass into a box. He patted Bolin the back and vanished once again.

Both sides of the family exchanged uneasy glances in total, slightly awkward silence.

“See what she always does?” Su muttered in a stage whisper. “She can’t even let me enjoy my only daughter’s wedding without causing drama.”

Bolin winced. “Okay, let’s not get carried away here…”

“Stay out of this, Bolin,” Su snapped, clenching her fists and unwittingly crushing the sculpted metal wall sconces, sending the flower arrangements tumbling to the ground. “I’ve held my tongue long enough. I’ll say it out loud. I do not want Kuvira here, and once again she managed to force her way into this family--”

“ _Enough_ !” Toph had spoken, and even Su fell silent. “Suyin, you’re the only one that still seems to have a problem with that aspiring dictator. According to Opal, she’s the reason we’re even _having_ this wedding.”

“But--”

“But nothing. If anyone ought to hate her, it should be me. She invaded my swamp and took my family captive.”

Kuvira tried to smile. “For which I am sincerely--”

“Stuff it,” Toph said. “I don’t really care. I’ll get my chance to exact my payback in good time.”

“--sorry.”

“What Mom is trying to say,” Lin interjected, “is that you can let this fester, or you can let it go, Su. See what you’re doing?” She gestured to the broken sconces. “If you can’t get over this hatred of Kuvira, you’re going to tear your family apart. Don’t do that to them, or yourself. It’s not worth it, and it’s not always about you. This is _Opal’s_ day.”

Bolin gingerly raised a hand. “And mine… no? Just Opal’s? Okay.”

“I know I can’t make everything up to you, Suyin,” Kuvira said, her voice low, “but I am trying.” With a fluid gesture, she righted the twisted metal sconces and returned them to the wall, a strange expression on her face. “Please set this aside for Opal and Bolin, even if it’s just for tonight.”

Su sighed. “Perhaps I can try harder.” She scrutinized Kuvira’s handiwork, evidently impressed-- even the glass accents had somehow been returned to their original places. “You’ve… come a long way, Kuvira.” Tensions were still present in the Beifong family, and Bolin knew better than to expect them to fully disappear, but for the first time in a long time things seemed better. Healed. Or on the road to recovery, at least.

Mako cleared his throat. "So...who else is hungry?"

 

* * *

 

Asami watched Korra awkwardly stab at her food with one of Zaofu's many innovations. Specifically, that of the modern eating utensil: the fork. It was...odd, and rather violent to handle. Asami had never quite gotten used to it; she preferred good old fashioned chopsticks, and so did almost everyone else.

Because with chopsticks there wasn't really a risk of mashing your fish into pulp. Which they had both done.

Korra pouted as her stomach growled like Naga and snatched Asami's fork out of her hand. She stuck them under the tablecloth for a few moments, and a few seconds later tossed Asami a fresh pair of metal chopsticks.

Asami giggled. "Thank you. I was about to ask the waiter if he could find some for us."

Mako snorted from across the table. "I don't remember these being that hard to use."

"Mako," said Korra, dangling a mound of rice just before her lips. "I've got an empty stomach filled with rice wine and hard liquor. I am officially too tipsy to use a fork."

Bolin shoved a large slice of shark-squid into his mouth and chewed loudly. "Couldn't you just use your hands? You know, a very wise man once said…" He swallowed. "If there is food on your plate, there is a way to get it in your mouth."

"That was you," said Opal, stealing several dumplings from his plate. "And I don't care how you guys eat, only that you do. I don't want a dance floor filled with stumbling drunks."

"Don't worry, we'll even out," said Asami. "Your photographer will get plenty of wonderful shots." She looked around at the other tables and raised a brow. Raiko and his wife were laughing just a little too loudly. The Beifongs were engaged in...some kind of yelling contest that looked somehow friendly. Must be a sibling thing. And Kuvira was staring blankly at an empty glass. Okay then. "Assuming the one Varrick hired is using a regular camera."

"How did a camera even  _do_ that?" asked Korra. "I don't know how he's making them in color, but I feel like that any kind of change he'd make wouldn't melt stuff fifty feet away."

Mako turned to Asami. "Any theories?"

"For once? No." Asami tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Any kind of explosive or volatile material within those cameras should have destroyed the entire thing, not just melt the lens. And even then, the level of energy needed to heat glass to its melting point would---wait…" Asami tapped her chopsticks together at their tips. "That lens should have seared through Zhu Li's clothes, but I didn't smell anything burning." She shook out her head, halting the gears within, just once, from surging forward. "You know what? As long as she's okay, it doesn't really matter. Varrick's designs often have...unintended, and rather unique, side effects."

"Well put, Miss Sato."

Asami jumped in her seat and turned around. Raiko had apparently snuck up on her while she'd been speaking. "Oh. Hello, Mister President." She smelled quite a bit of whiskey on him, and she was almost positive that he was drunk. After all, he was  _smiling._ "Thank you."

"You know…" He narrowed his eyes at her and laughed once. "You look  _just_ like your mother. But I'm sure you get that all the time. Almost identical. Just as elegant and stunning as she was. Truly amazing."

"Thank you, again. That's very kind of you to say." Asami wrinkled her nose. "Uhm, no, I don't hear that very often. I'm  _aware_ of it, but---I'm sorry, but I think you may have had too much to---"

"When I was your age," he interjected, humming with nostalgia. He rested his hand on the head of her seat. "I'm sure your father never mentioned this, but before I met Buttercup your mother and I were  _inseparable_ in every sense of the word."

Asami paled and gave him a weak smile. She wanted to scream and stuff a napkin down his throat. "Please stop talking."

"She had so much love in her heart to give, you know. But, shortly before the wedding---"

Bolin choked on his food and Korra spat out her drink.

"---things changed. She always used to say, 'Koryu, you can't build a home with rotten wood', and she was right. I was rotten to her, and I made the same mistake by being rotten to you." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Every single wedding I attend, I'm constantly reminded of that." He sighed very deeply. "I miss your mother very much. Not just as a lover---"

Asami covered her mouth with her hands and wretched. She swallowed her bile and purged the thought of her mother---No. No, no, no, no, that was  _not_ a mental image that was going to be burnt into her memory because  _then it looked like she was doing the same thing_.

"---but as a lifelong friend." Raiko blinked several times. "Oh, excuse me. I may have crossed a line or two there…but, be that as it may…" He leaned over and whispered something in Korra's ear.

Korra recoiled and made a disgusted face. "You are the  _worst_ kind of drunk! How would you even---Ooooooohhhhh…" she said, some level of comprehension appearing to dawn on her.

Mako rose from his seat and walked over beside Raiko. "Okay, sir, you need to leave."

Raiko perked up and put his glasses back on. "Hm? Oh, yes, of course. Well, I had a wonderful evening, and I wish the newlyweds the best of luck," he said, mimicking sobriety to an almost uncanny level. "Marriage is quite the adventure---"

"Thank you," said Opal through her teeth. "Now  _get out._ "

Buttercup wandered over to her husband and grabbed him by the arm. "Sweetheart, they brought the car around. We've got to get going if we want to beat the traffic." They walked arm in arm towards the exit, and Asami snorted.

Then, she snickered, which grew into a chortle, then a chuckle, and then she couldn't stop herself from just...well, just  _laughing_ at the lunacy of it all. "I think I'm so mortified that I circled back around to hysteria!" she said between bouts of giggling.

Mako chuckled awkwardly. "Gotta admit, I did not expect that response from you. Because I feel kinda sick."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll feel the same tomorrow morning, but for now---my mother has been dead for more than a decade and she  _still_ has some sort of hold over the President of the United Republic!" she said, wiping a few tears out of her eyes. "Or maybe I'm just drunk."

"It's probably both," said Bolin. "But  _I,_ personally, need more in me, because---"

Opal nodded her head enthusiastically. "---we are  _not_ consummating our marriage with that still fresh in our minds."

Korra raised a brow. "Dance and drink the night away?"

"Was there ever any doubt?"

"Nope."

Asami leaned over towards Korra. "What did he say to you?" she whispered.

Korra winced and made an unpleasant noise. "...something I already intimately knew."

"... _Oh._ "

"Yeah."

Asami snickered.

Korra screwed up her face. "I don't---how is that  _funny_?"

"Because he remembered! After all this time, he just couldn't forget!"

Korra slowly smirked. "...okay, yeah, I can kinda see how that'd be funny. Woah, wait a minute…you're just going to use this against him, aren't you?"

Asami smiled. "The fact that the President is still deeply in love with my mother, whom I just so happen to look almost identical to?" She nonchalantly flipped her hair. "Absolutely."

Harumi looked around the table and downed the rest of her drink. "You are the single most interesting people I've ever met."

Bolin grinned and shrugged. "We try."

 

* * *

 

Asami swayed with the music, letting Korra lead their slow, smooth dance across their small part of the floor. It was a simple tune, though it felt purposely slowed in tempo. And she had to admit, Wu had developed some very dulcet tones since the last time she'd heard him sing.

The first few tunes had been very active---high energy and exciting---but overtime, the Formers had transitioned, song by song, into something more intimate. The atmosphere had changed considerably, and while the peppy jazz had been wonderful...good old fashioned love songs were still the best. Especially now that she did have someone to hold, as the lyrics suggested.

"Lost in the music, or deep in thought?" asked Korra. "Either way, you're beautiful."

"Thank you, but I didn't have as much foresight as you did." She briefly rubbed the tip of her short heels against the side of Korra's boot. "Gorgeous and practical."

Korra gave her a small smile. "You didn't answer my question." She pressed her hand a little firmer on the small of Asami's back and turned with her, little by little.

"Lost in the music."

Korra gave her a crooked grin. "Told you he was good."

Asami snickered. "I still think he's just gotten better."

Korra shrugged. "Can't it be both?"

"I don't see why not…" As they turned in time with the music, Asami caught a glimpse of Kuvira and Baatar Jr. dancing as well. It was unnerving to see Kuvira like that, held close, face calm… the strangeness of the scene was alleviated somewhat by Kuvira’s left hand. Even as she danced with Baatar Jr., gracefully leading him through the steps, she was strangely gesturing with her free hand. Korra caught her staring and spun the both of them around, breaking her focus keeping Asami's back to them, but not before she saw an odd glint in the corner of her eyes. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she said, raising a brow. "What if there's a dance contest? We've got to be ready."

Asami laughed. "I can't argue with that…"

"I could, but I’d be wasting my time," said Toph.

Asami looked down at found that forcing a smile wasn't so difficult. "Hello, Toph."

"Hey Toph," said Korra. "I'm sure Bolin and Opal are really glad you could make it."

"Of course they are!" she crowed. "I'm the life of the party! I’m sure you’ve heard all about it."

"That's what Katara's told me." Korra tilted her head. "So...just stopping by to say hello, or do you want to talk about something…?"

"Well, I was going to tell you two to be careful," she said, snorting. "Last thing I want is for a future of married couple dates where half of them never show up.  Because they're dead."

Asami wrinkled her nose, coming out of the trance the music had soothed her into. "Wait, what? You're joking."

"Korra, I thought this one was supposed to be a genius?” Toph shook her head. “Look, I was trying to say you two are gonna be going on a lot of married couple dates, so, you know. Don't get yourselves killed."

Korra and Asami exchanged a very confused look. "Hold on, do you think---" said Korra.

"Katara dragged me on a ton of those when Kanto and I were still trying to make things work,” the old woman continued, oblivious. “They’re fun until they’re not…” she meandered on, telling a story that seemed a bit too fantastic to be true, and gave no sign of stopping.

Asami held out her palm and then dropped it, remembering that she couldn't see it. "We're...not married."

"My feet are never wrong. You're married."

"But---"

Toph scoffed. "Are either of you Azula?"

"What? No!"

"Brainwashed?"

Korra furrowed her brow. "No."

"Then you can't lie to me."

"That doesn't---"

"Doesn't matter how many times you try it, Korra." Toph stomped off back to her family with a hearty laugh. "I’m the greatest earthbender in the world, and these feet don’t lie. Don’t you knuckleheads forget it, either."

Asami bit her lip and her mind was blank. "Uhm…"

Korra smacked her forehead and snickered into a laugh. "What even was that?"

Asami smiled and halted the obvious realization before it even began. "I have no earthly idea."

 

* * *

 

Asami fumbled with her keys. Driving with a few drinks in her system wasn't exactly old hat. Still, she could make her way home even if all of her tires were flat, she was blindfolded, with one hand behind her back and in the middle of a hurricane. The most difficult part was getting  _in_ the car. After that, it was just instinct.

Asami wiggled her fingers. Her keys were gone. Well, she could just hotwire it. It was  _her_ car, after all.

"You're not driving," said Mako, walking through the headlights of another car passing out of the congested parking lot. He grabbed her by the arm and shook his head when she tried to wiggle free. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna make you leave your car here."

Asami pouted and reached for her keys. "I can drive just fine, thank you for your concern."

"You were trying to get in on the wrong side."

Korra broke out into a fit of giggling and leaned on her shoulder. "You were!"

Asami sighed and crossed her arms. "What about Harumi?"

"I can just follow you and take Mako home from there," said Harumi, smiling. "It's really not a problem."

Asami nodded and eventually just shrugged. "All right, I suppose." She gave Mako a pained expression. "Just  _please_ don't dent it! Or mess with the transmission. Or---"

Mako chuckled. "We're both sober and I won't touch a thing."

Korra vaulted edged her way into the backseat of the roadster and stood on the cushion, reaching her hand out to Asami. "Uh huh. Awfully convenient."

Mako and Harumi exchanged a look. "We're cops," they said in unison.

Asami took Korra's hand and carefully stepped into the back of of her roadster, more or less sliding down the leather and into her seat with a snicker. "That makes too much sense."

As soon as Mako shut the door and buckled his seatbelt, Korra leaned forward and poked her head between the two front seats with wide grin. "Driver, if you wouldn't mind taking us back to the estate…"

Asami pulled her back by the waist and laughed. "No! Don't tease him like that." She blushed and bit the inside of her lip. The world wasn't spinning, but she wasn't really all that...focused. Perhaps it was best she didn't drive. "Thanks, Mako."

"Anytime."

Mako backed out of her spot and merged back into traffic. And it all felt so  _smooth._ The tires on the blacktop, the way her roadster turned flawlessly, even though she wasn't the one at the wheel. Being a passenger was odd, but if someone like Mako was driving...she supposed it was all right.

Asami cuddled up against Korra, resting her head on her chest and closed her eyes, allowing the calming beat of her heart and the hum of the engine soothe whatever wary thoughts that were left nagging at the edges of her mind.

Except for one.

"Mako?" she said softly, getting his attention.

Mako looked at her through his sideview mirror. "Yeah?"

"Harumi is lovely."

Korra nodded with a small smile. "She really is."

Mako cleared his throat and blushed. "...thanks." His smile slowly grew wider and wider. "That means a lot."

"It's why we said it."

He snorted.

 

* * *

 

The ride home was quiet, and so was the road. No traffic jams, no loud angry motorists. Nothing that snapped her out of the moment, and Asami was very thankful for that. Luck was rare, but she still cherished every bit she got.

Mako pulled into her long, winding driveway and parked. The engine rumbled slowly to silence and Asami slowly sat up. She hadn't fallen asleep; the night wasn't over yet. But she still felt refreshed. Relaxed. Korra helped her out of the car and she smoothed out her dress.

"Goodnight," said Mako. He gave them a short wave as Harumi pulled up behind him. "See you guys soon."

"Goodnight!" said Asami, just as Korra pulled her through the front door and locked it behind them. She stumbled, but Korra held up her up, the both of them giggling as they sprinted up the stairs and past the library. Korra swung them into the bedroom, locked the door, and pulled her in for a passionate kiss.

Asami gasped, giving in to the warmth, and dropped her bag to the floor, wrapping her arms around Korra's waist and massaging her well-toned back through her dress. She pulled back just enough to break the kiss, their lips barely apart at all, and rested her forehead on Korra's. "Tonight has been perfect," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Thank you."

"Night's not over." Korra guided Asami's hands up to the straps of her blue dress. "Don't thank me just yet." She helped Asami slip them off, and her dress pooled on the floor, leaving just her leggings, boots and black lace bra. Asami smiled. She hadn't noticed her put it on before they left. She backed Asami to the edge of the bed and gently sat her down.

Asami ran her hands along Korra's perfectly defined stomach and pulled her hair out of its tie, shaking it out. She smiled at the slight blush on Korra's face and freed her hair as well. She ruffled it and pulled her back down to her with a soft kiss, kicking off her heels.

Korra reached around her back and began to slowly unzip Asami's dress. "I love you," she whispered, kissing her on the forehead. "I love you," she said again, much softer. A kiss on her shoulder. "I love you." A kiss on her neck. She pulled her hand back and cupped Asami's cheeks with a kind smile. "I...uhm…"

"I love you, too," she said, returning to massaging Korra's stomach. So much strength and power. Beauty and...bloat? It rippled slightly beneath her finger tips and Asami blinked.

Korra covered her face in Asami's hair and laughed. "I have to pee."

Asami shrugged and suddenly realized that, yes, all of that liquor she'd had was finally working its way out. She rested her hand on her stomach. "Yeah…" She shook her head, smiling. "Me too."

Korra groaned and pushed herself up to her feet. She looked between Asami and the bathroom. "...you, then me, or, do you  _really_ have to go?"

Asami waved her off. "I can wait. Go ahead."

"Okay. But when we're done---"

Asami gave her a reassuring kiss on her cheek. "It's still a perfect evening."

"Yeah. And I'm gonna keep it that way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said I don't write smut? Yeah, that's still true. :P PSYCHE. 
> 
> The song that Opal talks about in this chapter is the first in the playlist (the Tokyo Brass cover of "Sorairo Days"), while the 'slow dance' is whatever an in-universe version of "Blue Moon" would be. I'm no composer. Figure it out lol
> 
> That bit with Ginni taking a giant meta-dump over my own story was something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and I hope it was as hilarious for you folks as it was for me. I remember ALL THAT STUFF...but that doesn't mean I can get to all of it and---well, Asami said it best herself. The vines take priority, and I shouldn't really have to explain why that is :D Oh, and if you want to know more about that cop adventure that Mako had you can find it at your local video store and/or internet! Because it's just the original Die Hard! XD Raiko's...past with Yasuko (and his given name) was generously donated from jtav's "Unstable Equilibrium". I had way too much fun writing that part. 
> 
> There are around 30% more Korrasami moments in here than originally planned, but it made more sense to put them since this chapter is supposed to be, as the summary told you already, a wonderful evening. A break from reality. As such, I wrote them with sherbies and vanny-more in mind. Because their reactions to this story are never anything short of AMAZING. 
> 
> Thanks for being patient and sticking by me. Means a lot.


	23. Tethers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ideals that bind us to our own reality are not inherently benign. They can just as easily destroy us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! This chapter's been done for a month, but I couldn't post it until now. 
> 
> beta'd by thejmpr and beech27
> 
> You can't see/hear it, but I am SUPER GIDDY right now! :D
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_Eleven Months, One Day after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Late Summer, 175 A.G._

 

Asami wrapped her fists in boxing tape and glared at her leather punching bag. She started light. Routine, quick jabs to the side of the bag, just to feel it push back on her. Fast. Precise. Maybe the Red Lotus really were all but wiped out, but she wasn't a fool. Their recent activities had only been the result of a much larger, and far more terrifying problem.

Spirit Vine weapons. Bombs. Beams. Mounted on everything and anything. Undetectable and, in a sense, unstoppable. Even her best efforts weren't good enough-people died. 230,000 men, women and children were murdered in their homes, and it...it could only get worse.

It would only get worse.

Harder, then. Her stomach twisted and she hammered away at the bag, the rap of her fists hitting leather growing louder, the ceiling-chain rattling constantly. Blood and sweat trickled down over her fingers, staining the tape. Then, her teeth grinding against each other, she tore through the outer wall and buried her fist into the sand. It spilled out on to the padded floor and Asami scowled.

She couldn't lie to herself. She couldn't fool herself into redirecting her anger, her grief, on to some world crisis when it didn't have anything to do with that. Sure, it was important, but at the end of the day it was just another 'big problem'. It wasn't personal. The sandbender was dead, just like everyone else on that island.

And her father. He was dead, too.

Asami winced and grabbed at her twisted stomach. She pulled away from the punching bag and took steady, even breaths. All of the serenity and happiness she'd gained from the night before had vanished the moment she'd rolled out of bed. From all of that stress, it was a miracle she hadn't developed a multitude of digestive disorders.

"Stomach's bothering you again."

Asami looked up to see a sleepy-eyed Korra in her pyjamas. Her bobbed hair was matted and sticky. "Yeah. Did I wake you?"

Korra yawned and hopped on to the mat. "Nah. Naga did, though. Think she sensed something was wrong when you left the bed." She dried her face with one of the towels off the rack. "Gave me a big good morning kiss, too."

"Sorry. Today, of all days, you really need a full night's rest."

Korra waved her off. "Forget about my thing. We're doing your thing, which will take my mind off of what I've gotta do tonight."

"Korra---"

"You've got a thousand problems in your head, and I've just got the one." She patted the waterskin at her side. "Now lie down. I'm not letting this hurt you more than it already has."

Asami frowned and unwrapped her fists. "Shouldn't you be leading me through meditation for something like this?" She dropped the bloody bindings into the wastebin.

Korra shrugged. "We can try that if you want, but your mind's already racing. Slowing it down, yours especially, that's no small feat."

Asami sighed. "Fine." She winced and gave in to the doctor's orders, lying down on the mat with her knees bent. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but with each breath she felt herself getting more tense. Her shoulders tightened, her legs twitched, and of  _course_ she knew why.

She just hated the why.

"Shhhh…" Korra knelt down beside her and popped the cork off of the skin. "Hey. Let's take it slow." She stroked Asami's hair and covered her other hand in water with a roll of her wrist. "Is it just your stomach, or does it hurt in other places?"

Asami sneered at the ceiling. "You  _know_ it's more than that."

"Let's just take this one step at a time." She rested her wet hand on Asami's stomach. "All right?"

Asami slowly shifted her gaze to Korra's eyes. There were dark circles there, and she was slightly bloodshot. But she was still there, fully attentive and concerned. "All right."

"Good," she said. "Here, I want you to expand your stomach when you inhale, and compress it when you exhale." Korra smiled. "I know that sounds obvious, but it'll feel a little weird at first. Most people do the opposite when breathing."

Asami took a slow, deep breath, expanding her stomach, and found that, yes, it was indeed odd. It felt counterintuitive, even if the mechanics were far more rational than the alternative. She caught herself a few times from reverting back to her regular method and focused on the new technique, breathing while staring at her stomach to make sure she was doing it right.

"Right, now you've got it." Korra nodded slowly and covered her other hand with water. "Give me your hands. You're bleeding." Her eyes snapped to blood stains on the punching bag. "Looks like you have been."

Asami rested her head on its side, raising her fists. Her nails dug into her palms and she felt blood trickle down her knuckles again.

"Just try and focus on your breathing," said Korra. She covered her fists with her palms and a calming blue glow washed over them. "Whatever's bothering you, we'll work it out."

Asami felt her tiny cuts close, and the pain in her hands unwind and release. And then she noticed she was breathing wrong again. "This is ridiculous. I can't even focus on  _breathing exercises._ "

"You've just got a lot on your mind." Korra returned the water to her skin and sat down beside her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Asami rolled to her side.

"There's only so much I can do if you keep this all to yourself."

Asami considered, just for a moment, shrugging it all off and crawling back to bed. But then she remembered that making the same mistake twice was not a habit she wanted to encourage. "I'm angry," she whispered.

"I know."

"No, Korra, not this angry." She shook her head. "I thought I was past the worst of it, but it's all still there. Festering."

Korra stroked her hair. "We all have our off days, Asami."

"An off day? I wish that were the case." Asami sat up and frowned at her hands. "I had one moment of weakness, let it consume me, and I just... _brutalized them._ " She bunched up her hair on her forehead and clenched her eyes shut. "There is a part of me that can cut a man in half like it's nothing, and that terrifies me."

Korra sighed. "You can't blame yourself for what happened down there. Mako told me you got hit in the chest with a bolt of lightning. That's hardly a moment of weakness." She bit her lip. "And they'd all be dead anyway, even if you hadn't been the one to kill them; if that makes you feel better."

"It doesn't. It just makes it worse. I could have knocked them out, and they'd have done the rest. But I didn't." Asami flexed her hands and tucked her hair out of her face. "I tore them apart in a fit of blind rage. On  _instinct._ "

"Hey." Korra rested her palm on Asami's forehead. "That wasn't you. It wasn't your inner spirit showing its true colors. Believe me, I would know. You panicked. It happens to all of us."

"You didn't see it. You saw the blood, but not how it got there." Asami shivered.

"No, I didn't, and I'm not trying to say all of that was okay…" Korra shook her head. "But it still wasn't you. It might feel like it was, and believe me when I say I understand, but it's not. That wasn't who you  _truly_  are. I think I've proven that time and time again." She smiled sadly. "And don't sell yourself short. You're not nearly as angry as you once were."

"Or maybe I'm just better at hiding it. Even from myself." Asami choked back a sob and felt her entire body shiver. She hugged herself tightly and made herself small, tears dripping down her chin. Korra embraced her and tucked her head into the crook of her neck. It was too much. It was just too much. "I want this to stop," she cried, burying herself deeper into the safety of Korra's arms. "I don't want to be angry anymore," She seized up and clawed at Korra's top, gripping it in a vice. "I can't do this anymore. Please. Help me, I can't---I know he's gone, but everything just  _hurts_ and it won't stop."

"Asami…"

"I miss him so much," cried Asami. "He always had a solution, no matter the problem and sometimes I just  _don't._  And the more mistakes I make, the more things I overlook, the more people die. People that wouldn't have had to if I'd just been faster. Smarter. Better."

"You can't know that."

"It doesn't matter." Asami pulled back and looked at her with puffy, red eyes. "That's just how much it hurts." She took a deep breath and calmed her tears, wiping them away with her shirt. "The grief is...it's gotten so bad, that I feel his loss more than I've ever loved him."

"You feel more grief than you do love…?" Korra narrowed her eyes at her and tilted her head. Her eyes gave her a very clinical up and down, several times. "I think...I think I may actually be able to help in a more direct way than I thought. You said everything hurts. What kind of pain, and where?"

Asami widened her eyes and her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't let herself get caught up in hope but...maybe there was something to it. Some physical response to the metaphysical pain that wasn't just an illusion of crossed nerves. "All kinds, and around my heart, stomach, forehead---every vital part of the body. I...what does that have to do with anything?"

"Could be nothing, could be everything." Korra rested her palms on Asami's stomach and a warm glow flowed into her. She didn't feel any relief, but it felt...nice. Pleasant. Better than nothing. "Yep, had a feeling. Your chi is way out of whack, and  _wow_ do you have a lot of it. But it's...stagnant and scattered, and I can tell that just from your stomach. It shouldn't be like that."

Asami stared at her incredulously. "I didn't even know I had any."

"Any what?"

"Chi."

Korra stopped for a moment. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I'm a non-bender. It doesn't make sense."

Korra shook her head and returned the water to her skin. "Everyone has chi, Asami. That's one of the first things Katara taught me. It's part of why I can heal you at all. Just because you can't use it, doesn't mean that I can't to stimulate the body's own natural healing process."

Asami frowned. "That's great and all, but how does this help?"

"Well, your stomach is hurting, among other things, because you're severely imbalanced. That's obviously not the  _only_ reason, but it's biggest one. Physically, at least. I really should have checked for this earlier…" She rubbed the back of her neck. "But the short version is that no matter how much you punch that bag over there, cry, or really anything besides letting time run its course so your wounds heal naturally, your anger won't go away. It'll  _move,_ but it'll come back soon after. It's a quick-fix, not a solution."

Asami looked back over at the punctured punching bag and sunk into the mat. "So I guess this means you  _can't_ help, huh?"

"I didn't say that." Korra got up and pulled Asami to her feet. "You said you wanted something to make the day to day easier, something that's  _effective._ And I think I can do that."

"How?"

"Acupuncture. Opens you up, lets you breathe and recenter yourself. but that's just the start. The rest of the process is….well, it's up to you. But you already knew that."

"Yeah." Asami crossed her arms. "I just...really want to keep punching that bag, though."

Korra hummed. "We can do that. You've got one of those acupuncture suits in your size, right?"

Asami blinked. The booster suit. "No, I don't. It didn't make sense to make one for me, since all it would amount to is a deep tissue massage. Which would be helpful right about now…" She sighed. "This is really a shame, because that's a good idea."

Korra cracked her knuckles. "Give me half an hour. I'll just make one."

"Wha---"

"Jinora's is still in the basement, right?"

"Yeah, but---"

"Got extra material down there?"

"I do, though I---"

"Asami." She smiled softly. "I make my own clothes, remember? And I'm a healer, so this is easy. Now, if you wanted me to make some complicated dress, that'd take me a while. But this…" Korra kissed her on the forehead. "I can do this for you."

"Korra, wait." Asami reached out to her. "It's not in the basement."

"Where, then?"

Asami eyes sunk into her head. "Below his workshop."

 

* * *

 

 

Korra felt a morbid sense of nostalgia as she followed Asami into her father's old workshop. Not much had changed since the one and only other time she'd seen it, all those years ago. In fact, it looked almost perfectly preserved. Some of the equipment she recognized was outdated, and the diagrams for Asami's old roadster were pinned to the walls.

Asami twisted one of the socket wrenches hanging on the rack, and hidden panel below their feet shifted back, revealing the dark, red glow of the elevator. "Come on, let's get this over with." The moment her feet touched the platform, her eyes glazed over. Korra joined her and Asami activated the lift, lowering them deep into the mountainside.

Red emergency lighting flashed by overhead, illuminating every few yards of the track. It struck Korra as odd that Asami wouldn't simply add more lighting to the elevator, so it didn't look as creepy and foreboding. Sort of like Zaheer's prison.

They zipped past a large blast door, and Korra whipped her head around as it vanished behind them. "Wait, wasn't that---"

"There's a second level. I found it not long after his trial. It's all the way down at sea level." She leaned against the railing and stared up into the lights. "There's a dry dock and a cove. And tunnels that link to the old tram system the Equalists used to get around underground."

Korra squinted down the tunnel, her curiosity piqued. It sounded a little like that submarine hangar she'd...uh,  _found_ on the Boiling Rock. "Didn't you convert that into a subway?"

"I did, but some of the bunkers didn't fit with the transit model, so I had them filled with concrete." Asami snorted. "...you've never used the subway, have you?"

"No offense, but I can fly."

Asami tucked her hair behind her ear. "Right." She slowed the funicular to a more manageable pace and it slid up to a far more massive blast door. It was at least fifty feet wide and twenty feet tall. And, of course, pure platinum. The platform locked into place with a loud click. "You had no idea this place existed, did you?"

Korra shook her head.

"Thank you." Asami smiled sadly. "I appreciate that. You could have tracked my spirit at any time, but you didn't." She shifted from one foot to the other. "I'm just surprised it took you this long to notice."

"It's not that. I figured you'd tell me when you were ready."

Asami rubbed her forehead. "Right. Of course you noticed. Of course  _Naga_ noticed." She looked away and walked over to the keypad on the side of the blast door. "It's deep and reinforced enough to serve as a spirit weapon shelter, though without an early warning system, that doesn't mean much." She keyed in, at the least, a dozen numbers in quick succession. The red blinking light turned green with a short beep. "However, I did find a use for it."

"Deep storage?"

Asami's finger hovered above the button. "It's...a bit more than deep storage." She bit her lip. "You're not going to like what you see."

Korra frowned. "Maybe not, but I'll understand. No matter what's behind that door, I'll understand. Okay?"

Asami took a deep breath. "...okay." She pressed down, and the warning lights flickered off, quickly being replaced with rotating orange klaxons. Signal bells rang and the door slowly opened, the gears and mechanisms grinding as it split apart.

But there was nothing beyond the door. Only darkness.

Korra tilted her head. "Uhm…"

"Give it a second."

"Ah."

Row after row of blinding floodlights switched on, lighting the absolutely enormous room. A gust of sea air flew through her hair as her eyes adjusted to the sudden change. She shielded her eyes with her arm and slowly lowered it as her vision refocused. And then...Korra didn't know how to react.

She didn't know how to react to the broken remains of the Colossus, neatly organized in the underground cavern. She didn't know how to react to the hundreds of blueprints strewn about chalkboards, large drafting tables and every other flat surface. She didn't know how to react to the half-assembled Mecha-Tanks, VarriMechs, Earth Empire tanks, biplanes, airplanes with a single wing, armored satomobiles, lightning cannons, flamethrowers, submarine skeletons and a few dozen other things she'd never seen before. She didn't know how to react to the pristine Satohawk, its rotors folded backward, resting in the center of it all.

"To make a long story short, Future Industries got out of the arms trade." Asami bowed her head and walked past the threshold. "...but I couldn't stop making them. After dad died, it only got worse."

Korra slowly walked through the massive doors, her eyes agape in shock and confusion. "This doesn't make sense." She sprinted up to the head of the Colossus and waved her arms. "How---you shipped this back to Zaofu like a year ago!"

Asami shook her head and walked deeper into the cavern. "That's what the public was told. Transporting that thing is too dangerous with the Earth Empire loyalists still as active as they are. No matter what we did, the risk of it getting captured was too great." She frowned and looked back over her shoulder. "Until the Earth…" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "...Federation is stable, this stays in my possession."

"Does Raiko know? Does  _Su_?"

"Raiko does, and Su didn't ask any questions once the United Republic 'returned her stolen platinum'. You have to understand. I can't trust anyone with this technology. We  _barely_ beat it the first time, and I don't even want to think about how we could beat another. Or two at once."

Korra furrowed her brow. "You could have told me this. And if you're worried about it ending up in the wrong hands, why didn't you just melt it down?"

Asami tilted her head. "Because I wanted to find out if I could design a better one." She flinched and held up her palms. "No! No, not to be  _used._ Or produced, or anything like that! Just as an exercise. To prove that I could."

"Did you?"

"Yes. It wasn't difficult, as the upright design was incredibly inefficient. It only ever needed to be bipedal, and an eighth the size."

"Is that...everything in here? Just to prove that you could?"

Asami was silent for a moment. "I wish that were the case. I really do, but no, a lot of this is...because I could. Because we might need it some day. Because I can't stop. Because it's a welcome distraction from the rage I'm carrying." She rubbed her temples and walked toward a series of large shipping crates, motioning Korra to follow. "Because I find it fun. Abstract problem solving. Innovation for innovation's sake. Constant improvements and upgrades on not just my own work, but my father's as well."

Korra huffed and walked past prototype after prototype, most of which were at least partially assembled. Larger bombs, stronger engines, scale models of more streamlined airplanes. And a lot of things with rockets strapped to them. "This is a little hard to digest. You were so distraught about manufacturing these kinds of things again, but...you've been building them this whole time?"

Asami pulled open the side door of the Satohawk and sat on the edge, resting her hands behind her. "Just because I built everything here, doesn't mean I want it to ever  _leave_ this room. No matter how angry I am, my morals don't change. The United Forces got what I could bring myself to give them. Everything they'd need to protect your--- _our_ \---family. Nothing more."

"Okay." Korra pulled herself up and sat down beside her. "Guess it was a good thing you had that stuff ready to go, then. You saved a lot of lives."

"By killing more on the other side, Korra. Numbers got flipped. That's all it did." She ground her teeth. "I was a fool to think that offloading the division to Baatar would make this any easier." She ran her fingers through her hair. "This is the last way I have to feel close to my father. Who he  _was,_ not what he became." Asami rested her head in her hands. "Whenever I finish something here, everything just melts away, if only for a few moments. I forget he's gone. I forget the madness that's going on up there. And I'm...at peace. I'm not angry."

Korra's shoulders slumped. "And then it all comes back, hitting you harder than it did before."

"Yes. Everytime. It happens every single time but I always hold on to some meaningless shred of hope that perhaps this time will be different. Maybe this time, I'll  _stay_ at peace," she whispered. "But it never happens. It comes back, and the cycle continues. I need to cope, so I build. The sheer act of  _creation_ , to translate what's in my mind into something real---I can't stop. It's like breathing."

Korra nodded slowly. "I...get what you're saying, but why is almost everything here a weapon? It doesn't have to be."

"Doesn't it, though?" Asami scoffed. "I think it's just human nature. We're very good at hurting one another, and some of us are very good at making that even easier. Weapons developers. No matter how far I get into something, like that armored satomobile for important members of government, it always leans toward military. That may be a project designed to save lives, but only because I'm keenly aware of what the enemy will throw at us."

"It's still a choice, Asami. No one is controlling you or making you do anything," she said gently.

Asami scowled at her. "Don't you get it? It's not a choice if every path leads to the same destination." She gestured widely to the Satohawk they were sitting in. "This was supposed to be a modular, dynamic and extremely adaptable aircraft for  _humanitarian aid and construction._ Medical evacuations, firefighting, airdrops, maybe even assisting the post office." She laughed dryly. "The insane speed it travels at? It's a proof of concept. I wanted to make larger airplanes to ferry people from one city to another. It was supposed to bring people closer together!" She clapped her hands together. "But just like that, my country needs it for war, and all of that goes away."

"I...had no idea."

"Everything I build, no matter what I do or what my intention is, is used for war. And since I can't stop building, this will never, ever end." She glared straight ahead. "It happened to my father, and it's happening to me. But I just keep thinking, if he were here, he'd have found a way to break the cycle. He wouldn't have given in to nationalism. I don't know how, but he'd have figured this out."

Korra rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry, Asami. I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing  _to_ say. I'm already punishing and judging myself enough as it is for all of this." Asami's face twitched. "I'm more effective with a blade than I ever could be with a shield. _"_  Her hands shook. "The Unity Defense System is proof of that. Not to mention that self indulgent airburst suit and those ridiculous fan-blades."

Korra carefully wrapped her into a hug, though Asami hesitated to return it. "You can't blame yourself for those bombings. It's not your fault, and you saved millions, remember? And that suit and those fan-blades? They're going to help a lot of non-benders. More than you think."

"Non-benders..." Asami scoffed. "Have you ever sat down to think about exactly what it is that we're doing?"

"What do you mean?"

Asami's eyes widened with ferocity and pulled away. "We're trying to exterminate a relatively small group of people because we believe they are the cause of chaos and discord. And we're doing that with weapons I've built. We're manipulating the public into joining our side, even if what we're saying is mostly true." She grunted. "Doesn't this seem familiar to you? At all?"

Korra wrinkled her nose. "You're not seriously suggesting that you've become your father, are you?"

"It certainly feels like it!"

Korra covered her face with her hands. "Okay, Asami, you are  _all over the place._ " She held her by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "Listen very carefully, because I tried to tell you this upstairs, but I guess it didn't take. You are not your father. You are not a weapon. You are a good person in a bad place.  _You are not your anger_."

Asami opened her mouth, but then quickly closed it. She puffed out her cheeks.

"Are we clear?"

"Yeah. Yes. We're...we're clear." Asami took a very deep breath and reached for Korra's hand. "Thank you. I think I just needed to get all of that out of my system."

"You're welcome. Feeling any better?"

"A little less clouded, but no less angry. I can focus." She bowed her head, her hair falling over her face. "The booster suit is in a storage crate marked with the Cabbage Corp logo."

Korra snorted into a light laugh. "Why would you---what?"

Asami smirked, but her eyes were still heavy. Exhausted. "Because it never worked right."

 

* * *

 

 "How'd I do?"

Asami tugged at the collar of the freshly made booster suit. "It's...very snug. I'm honestly impressed you know my measurements so well. Though, not exactly surprised."

Korra shrugged and smoothed out the back of the suit, running her palms over Asami's shoulder blades. "What can I say? I know you: inside and out." She stepped around to Asami's front and gave her quick up and down. "Looks like everything is in place. Ready for the needles?"

Asami nodded and took a deep breath. She tightened the latches on her upper arms and dozens of tiny needles pierced her skin. She felt it first at the base of her neck, and the stimulation travelled down her spine, through her arms, around her waist, over her stomach and all the way to her feet. At first, she didn't sense a difference.

But then she breathed. She was so...open. The tight, twisting pain in her body slowly receded, making it immeasurably easier to simply  _be._ She carefully flexed her hands and rolled her shoulders, testing the stability of the needles. Not that she didn't trust Korra's workmanship, but one could never be too careful.

"You look  _really_ relaxed," said Korra, meeting her eyes.

Asami perked up. "Do I? I...I feel a lot better." Everything was so much clearer. Lighter. She didn't even feel tired anymore. "This is amazing. I should try and market this for hard laborers, because all of my physical tension is just...gone." She chuckled. "Why have I never tried this before?"

"I think the better question is where did you get the idea for this thing in the first place." Korra hoisted a fresh punching bag over her head and metalbent the chains into place. She let it rock side to side for a moment before slapping it with an open palm. "Bag's ready. Here, I'll hold it in place for you."

"Thanks." Asami hopped back and forth on the balls of her feet and made her way over to the bag. "I...actually made this with you in mind." She started off slowly, getting a feel for how the suit moved with her body. It was almost like a second skin, and everything was just  _easier._ Quick jabs to the center of the bag weren't as strenuous as they were before, but that was probably because she wasn't as tight.

"Wait, really?" Korra peaked her head out from behind the bag. The chain clacked against itself faster and louder. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I don't think giving me  _more_ power is the best idea."

Asami huffed and struck the bag harder, each strike with just a tad more weight than the last. The malleable material of the suit softened the strain on her knuckles, which felt like they were punching a pillow. Of course, the loud smack of her fists connecting with the leather made it quite clear that she was imagining it. Pillows didn't make too much noise when you punched them. "You said you couldn't enter the Avatar State. Did some research, and came up with this. Testing proved…" She bit her lip and felt her stomach twist in time with her strikes. "Disastrous."

Korra's eyes widened. "Oh. Wow, thank you. I had no idea. How'd you figure out that chakras were connected to the Avatar State?"

Asami raised a brow. "Until just this moment, I had no idea that they were. It just made sense to induce the same physical result of the Avatar State, which in theory could...fix all the other parts."

"And you just whipped this up after you got my letter?"

"Took me six months to come up with the model I'm wearing. The rest were…" She chuckled dryly. "Remember how Mako set himself on fire?"

" _No way."_

"Yep, this is how." She smashed her palm into the upper half of the bag. "Nobody could control the amplified efficiency in their bodies after long periods of use, so I had to shelve it." Her stomach contorted again, but that time her heart joined as well. She flinched, pushed through the pain, and hammered away at the bag. "It would've been very useful if I managed to fix it, though."

"I'll bet."

"But of course, I didn't," she grunted. "Kuvira walked her Colossus straight into the city, and destroyed everything in sight," she seethed, her breathing becoming heavier. "All because I couldn't fix a  _simple, stupid_ power distribution problem." Asami growled and her arms flared up, burning from the inside out. She ignored it and focused entirely on beating the bag into  _nothing._ "And if I had snapped out of that juvenile, idealistic nonsense about defending the helpless and just focused all my energy on destroying those who would even try _, maybe then he wouldn't have died in the first place!"_

Asami roared and, for a split second, her vision tinted red. She threw all of her strength into one final strike and punched straight through the bag itself. Shredded leather and sand exploded around the gym. The metal chain snapped in half, but the bag didn't fall. Asami slowed her breathing and started to recognize what had just happened.

She wiggled her fingers. They were on the other side.

Korra peaked around the bag, her eyes wide in shock and her hair covered in sand. "Did...did you just…"

Asami's mouth fell open and she carefully pulled her arm out of the bag. "I---that's impossible. The bag was defective." She flexed her arm, now caked with sand. It felt fine. By all logic, even if she  _could_ punch that hard, which she couldn't, it should have broken her knuckles. Maybe even her arm. "There's no other explanation. I'm not that strong.  _You're_ not...are you that strong?"

Korra dropped the bag on the floor. It landed in a very heavy smack, leaking more and more sand on to the mat. Korra shook out her arms and bent the sand off of her face and Asami's arm. "I really doubt it." She kicked the bag. "But the bag is...normal. I, uh, I'm kinda at a loss here…"

Asami furrowed her brow and crossed her arms. "I punched  _into_ the bag earlier, but that's more or less normal. The leather on the other side isn't particularly difficult to breach, but getting through all that sand, as thick as it is…"

Korra scratched her head. "Exactly what I was thinking. What could possibly be...different…" She trailed off. "Woah, wait. Wait a minute." Korra grabbed Asami's arm and inspected it closely, drawing water from her skin and sliding the glow along the length of her forearm. "I don't believe it. I was wrong." She chuckled. "Your anger really  _does_ make you stronger."

Asami pulled her head back and raised a brow. "...what? You can't possibly believe that rage enhances physical strength. That's ridiculous."

"No, no, not quite. You said this suit was designed to help me activate the Avatar State, right? And from working on it myself, the way you wanted it to do what was by clearing chakra points and getting chi flowing as fluidly as possible."

Asami sighed. "Korra, the booster suit doesn't work like that on non-benders. We've been over this. It's just a nice massage."

"Asami, you're wrong," she said, smiling. "I'm pretty sure you just used your chi to do that."

"I am not a bender. Once again, that doesn't apply, or make sense."

"Okay, just listen, all right?" Korra said with a twinge of frustration. "Just because non-benders can't use it in the same way benders can doesn't mean it's not there, or that it's weak. Or less."

"That's a nice sentiment, but a little far from the truth, don't you think?"

"No! Dammit, will you just---your chi pathways are open!" She gestured to Asami wildly. "The suit did this!"

Asami froze. That couldn't be true. It just couldn't. She had designed it for  _Korra_. It was not a weapon, it was to help...help her get back on her feet, perhaps literally at the time, but more so into fighting shape so yes it could be abused as a weapon, like the triads attempted but for her? A non-bender? No, that was unthinkable. "...no…" she whispered.

Korra grinned. "Yes! You have tons of energy in your body, but for non-benders it's dormant. The suit forces your pathways open, which gets the chi flowing constantly. You can't bend, but that energy has to go somewhere, so it...well, I like I said, in a way…" Korra raised her hands in disbelief. "Anger, that knot in your stomach, your big sea of chi, it kinda makes you stronger."

Asami paled and couldn't find the words to speak.

"My guess is that, since you didn't instantly punch through the bag, it has to have some sort of trigger. Probably extreme strain of the muscles and tendons, amplifying what you already have, or...more likely unlocking your body's full physical potential." Korra shrugged. "It's kind of obvious, now that I think about it."

"Korra, no one can know about this. Do you understand?"

"But---"

"No," she said harshly. "I already sealed this away after it hurt those I care about, and buried it even deeper once the triads came for it. Maybe, just  _maybe_ some point in the future, we'll need it. But until that time…" She unfastened the latches and peeled her way out of the suit. "This technology? This discovery?" She folded it together neatly. "It's an utter failure, and it never happened."

Korra held up her palms. "Uhh, don't you think you're overreacting---"

"I am reacting at the level I should be---" Her stomach twisted on itself and sent a shot of searing pain through her. She ground her teeth and hunched over for a moment. "This is not a turning point for non-benders. This is  _dangerous._ I have no idea what the limits of this thing are, and I have no interest in exploring them." She exhaled. "For all I know, it could have the same side effect as it does for non-benders."

"...loss of control?"

"In this case, it would far more likely be death. Too much strain on the body, too much energy being used. I'm no doctor but---"

Korra bit her lip. "No, no. That makes sense. I get it. This never happened." She kicked the bag again. "...we still need to clean this up, though. How 'bout I do that…" She smiled. "And you go run a bath. You may not be able to relax with that suit on, but I can still work the stress out."

Asami snorted. "I'm really not in the mood, Korra."

"Aw, heh, no I wasn't trying to be cute. I meant a massage. A real one."

"Oh. Well, in that case, that sounds lovely." Asami bit her lip. "Wait. But...before we do that...I want you to know something."

Korra nodded.

"When you come home tonight, after all is said and done, you don't have to say a word. We don't ever have to talk about it if you don't want to." Asami took a few steps toward her and cupped her cheek. "You won't be 'Korra the bloodbender'. You'll still be you. No matter how much you think this one moment will change you, it won't."

Korra's eyes sunk and she grasped at Asami's hand. "Even if I'm me, you'll see me differently," she whispered.

"No, I won't. You don't look at me differently after seeing all that I'd hidden away, do you?"

"Of course not."

"And I never doubted that." She sighed. "We all do things we're not proud of. That we're ashamed of. Sometimes those things are necessary, sometimes they're not."

Korra looked away.

Asami gently turned her back. "I'm not saying what you're doing is right, but I'm not saying it's the wrong thing to do, either. I'm saying that, whatever you choose to do, I'm with you."

Korra pulled her into a strong hug, holding on to her just as desperately as she had only hours before. "...this is a really huggy, emotional day, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Some days are just like that, though."

"They're  _exhausting._ "

"They really are."

 

* * *

 

Zaheer was growing impatient. The Red Lotus had thought it best to keep him locked away, as he would be more useful as an informant to the world powers than he would be free. On a personal level, he strongly disagreed, though he understood their intention. As it was his intention as well. Everyone had a role that they were meant to fulfill. His just happened to be more humble than most.

He sat in Xai Bau's grove at the agreed upon time, as he had been for the past several days. His contact hadn't shown up, which wasn't odd. In their line of work, things happened to keep them from abiding by strict timetables, which was why they didn't use them at all. Adaptability and flexibility were integral to every operation.

Though, he was beginning to tire of waiting.

"Good. You're still here. I apologize for the delay."

Zaheer turned around and nodded at Nilani. "You have your duties, and I have mine." He tilted his head. "No cloak this time?"

"There's no point. Everything that's been set in motion cannot be stopped, so breaking cover won't matter," she said. "And it was never a cloak. You understand that, correct? It was an extra jacket. It's not as if I could find a hooded cloak in the spirit world."

"I suppose not. By your candor I assume we succeeded?"

"That all depends on your definition of success, Zaheer." Nilani folded her hands behind her back. "From my perspective, yes. Several hundred of our compatriots sacrificed themselves for the larger goal. The Boiling Rock was utterly vaporized."

Zaheer narrowed his eyes. "And the Avatar and her friends?"

"Unharmed."

"I fail to see how this was  _not_ a total failure. What did we gain out of this ploy?"

" _We_? Nothing. Nothing at all." Nilani's lips slowly split into a grin. "You seem to be under the misconception that  _you_ are not one of those who were sacrificed."

"If this is your idea of a joke---"

"They believed you, Zaheer. They took the bait and the general public believes they've won. Which means your role in this, in the Red Lotus, is mercifully over."

Zaheer frowned. "Nothing gives you the right to speak to a fellow agent like this. What is wrong with you?"

Nilani took several steps closer. "No, Zaheer, the real question what is wrong with  _you_?"

"What?"

"This is no joke. This is not madness. You, however...you are. You are very much a big, stupid joke. An idiot. A juvenile, self indulgent, arrogant fool. And every word we share sickens me further. I'd kill you myself, but you still have one more move to play."

Zaheer scowled. "Xai Bau would never---"

"Shut up. Just shut up. Don't you get it? Are you really so self absorbed and dense not to understand that we abandoned you and your friends all those year ago?!"

"You're lying."

Nilani narrowed her eyes. "I am no liar. Thirteen years in prison, and then another three, and you still haven't figured it out? Do I honestly need to spell this out for you? Shove it down your throat so that you understand just how  _disposable_ you and your merry band of followers were?"

"I believe that you do, because I have no idea what you're talking about."

"That was rhetorical. You are giving me a headache  _inside the spirit world._ " Nilani massaged her temples. "Very well. Fine. I will indulge your 'curiosity'. Though, in all honestly, it will be quite cathartic for myself." She cleared her throat. "Didn't you find it odd that we never assassinated Unalaq for his betrayal? That we allowed him to live and rule over his tribe?"

Zaheer scoffed. "It was part of a larger plan to ensure Vaatu's release."

"Wrong. We had agents, scholars really, in place to take care of the portals for a decade before that. Killing Unalaq would have accomplished nothing. Another leader would take his place, no matter the outcome. Chaos breeds tyrants; you knew that and you still went out of your way to kill the Earth Queen."

"I needed to make my point clear."

"What point? That you're willing to  _kill people?!_ No one suspected otherwise!" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "And yet, you  _knew_ someone like Kuvira would rise up, but you were too busy playing with your new toys to care. Imprisoned for thirteen years, and the moment the universe grants you something, you abuse it. You stopped waiting, and just did whatever you wanted."

"I had a higher purpose!"

"You had a  _delusion!_  You were destined to fail from the very start! Arrogance consumed you to the point where you truly believed you could fight the Avatar and  _win._ That has never, in all of history, happened. And it never will, because the Avatar is a factor that cannot be quantified. Only fools choose to face her directly like that."

"It would have worked had---"

"Had  _what?_ If she wasn't the Avatar? It baffles me, really. You learned to fly, but you can't even see ten feet in front of destroyed a decade of work in an instant just to prove some meaningless point," seethed Nilani. She jabbed a finger in his face. "You cannot bring about true freedom by destroying governments from the outside, Zaheer. Only by winning the hearts and minds of the people,  _willingly,_ can the world return to its natural state." She snarled. "But you know what? That's not the worst of it. No, no, you sealed your fate just before assassinating the queen."

Zaheer rolled his eyes. "Really."

"You gave us a name, Zaheer. You  _named us._ For fifty years, no one knew we even existed, but after you chose to show off to the Avatar, people started asking questions. The right questions. We could have issued in a new era of balance if you'd  _kept your fucking mouth shut!_ "

Zaheer sobered and searched around the field. That couldn't have been a mistake. He simply wanted to see if convincing the Avatar that their path was right was still possible. Of course, he'd known that she'd inform her friends of that information, but it would never get anywhere. Without proof from the Avatar, it was just a conspiracy theory. And since she was dead---

He had assumed she would die. That the poison and his companions would be enough. Of course, he already knew that, but he'd never...the perspective was new. Raw.

"It looks like it finally hit you," said Nilani.

"That doesn't matter." Zaheer scowled. "You used me. For sixteen years."

"We used you  _once._  Last week. You had no value until you were captured a second time." Nilani sighed. "If it would make you feel better, even if they didn't take the bait, it wouldn't have mattered. There are contingencies in place for every eventuality. There is no variation of reality where the Red Lotus, in some form, does not succeed." She stopped, looking lost in thought for a moment. "Survival is, of course, secondary."

"You don't even want chaos, do you?"

"I want  _freedom_. I want peace through mutual understanding. I want a world where loyalty is based upon love, and not borders. Nationalism is a sickness that needs to be removed, but at this point...it's far more complicated than it once was."

Zaheer stayed silent and simply listened. If she was going to rant, he was going to remember as much information as possible. Clearly, Nilani had gone mad with power she shouldn't even have.

"We are inches away from a point of no return, humans and spirits. Spirit Weapons will be the end of everything if we don't act. We have two possible eventualities. An eternity of fear with inevitable extinction by our own hands, or a chance at survival, even if what lives on will be...neither human nor spirit. I have worked tirelessly to ensure that neither outcome came to pass, but soon...there may be no other options."

"...what are you planning?"

"Something in which failure does not exist. Because even if the end goal is not realized, the reality that future generations will be forced to face---that is the legacy of the Red Lotus. Our warning. Our lesson. I have the entire Earth Empire military under the influence of the Red Lotus. I have dozens of separatist groups and belligerent revolutionaries just itching for a reason to rise up. And most importantly, I can do what you never could. Take the Avatar out of play."

Zaheer shook his head. "You're insane. Whatever you're planning to do---it will fail. Nothing so large can succeed on one will alone."

Nilani looked down at him. "The Red Lotus is far more than  _one will_ , but that's to our advantage. Certain people can be made to fulfill certain roles without full knowledge of the situation. In other words: some of us are soldiers, and others are commanders." She vanished and reappeared in front of him, nose to nose. " _You_ are a soldier. A terrible one. You've served your purpose. Anything you say now isn't credible information, and they will ignore your warnings, as they are the rantings of a lunatic."

Zaheer tried to grab her, but she was already ten feet away. "I no longer have a reason to hold my tongue. To know this much, you must be close to the Avatar, Nilani."

"Unfortunately for you, that's not my name."

Zaheer tried to speak, but could not. He felt his body being pulled into itself, the pain unimaginable, but he could not scream. The colors around him, his vision, twisted and bled from their vibrant, impossible hues, to muted browns and green. The air was flat and he fell to the floor, slamming his nose into the hard platinum base of his chains. He struggled, reaching for flight, but only found pain. He groaned and forced his eyes open, looking up.

Korra towered over him, the light of her eyes receding into the dark, heavy bags beneath them. She was bloodshot but did not glare at him with hesitation. Only conflicted hatred and guilt. "It's done. I've denied you inner peace. You can  _never_ get it back and I am the last thing close to a friendly face you will ever see. The Red Lotus is finished." She turned and walked away, her hands balled into bloody fists.

"Wait," he said, coughing. "Does the name Nilani mean anything to you?"

Korra boarded the security gate. "No."

Zaheer furrowed his brow. There had to be something. Something else Korra would know, and that she wouldn't dismiss. Whatever that...woman was planning, whoever she was, it wasn't what he fought for. She had to be stopped. "The glassbender."

Korra shook her head. "He's dead, same as all your friends. It's over."

"It's not over. Not yet. She's still alive."

The gate started to close, but he saw her eyes widen as she looked over her shoulder. He'd gotten to her. She believed him, if only slightly. And she'd find some way to win. She had done the impossible to defeat Kuvira, so she could do it once more.

 

* * *

 

Artana opened her eyes and yawned into a stretch. She had been correct. It  _was_ cathartic. incredibly so. She pushed herself up from the base of the tree and neatly folded her jacket in front of her. She'd have to get started on that resignation paperwork in the next few hours, not that there was any rush. She looked around the island, taking in the serenity and peace that it imbued to all who resided within. It would be a shame not to savor it.

"Tag!" yelled Ikki, swooping down from overhead and smacking her on the back of the head. She spun in the air and soared off toward the gazebos.

Artana smiled and took off after her, slipping on her jacket. "We agreed on no airbending, Ikki!"

"But it's way more fun like this, right?"

Artana had to admit it. Ikki was right.

It  _was_ more fun like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been waiting NEARLY 10 MONTHS to get to this moment. Where I get to pull back the curtain, and all the pieces start to fit together into one terrifying whole. The booster suit, the weapons, the swamp, the colors, the double standard of humans vs spirits, constant invocation of the Sixth and Fourth Chakra, the parallels between Artana and Asami, the Red Lotus actually being more than a random terrorist group (you like how I closed that plot hole/weird retcon with Unalaq? Eh?), the politics, toxic nationalism/patriotism, Asami's unresolved grief and anger over her father's death, how history is written, the legacy one leaves behind (Asami and her weapons, Korra being forced to impart bloodbending mastery into the Avatar cycle, whatever the Red Lotus is planning etc)---freaking EVERYTHING lead up to this, and what follows.
> 
> And this wasn't even my ace-in-the-hole! Though, the booster suit revelation for non-benders is seriously up there. 
> 
> This, the penultimate chapter (before the 4-part finale), as beech27 so aptly put it, is not just a big reveal in terms of Artana (should not be a surprise, tbh. I said I made ONE OC, people.) but also in what the story is, at its deepest level, about. And it's pretty dark, I know, but the thing with nuclear weapons is that we aren't dead. There were so many false-positives in early warning systems during the Cold War. So many moments on both sides where the world almost ended in nuclear Armageddon, but it didn't. We're all still here. No nuclear weapon has been used for war since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So while I may believe personally that total nuclear disarmament is a complete and total pipe dream due to the geopolitical climate being frozen in a 'deterrence' frame work for eternity...I also believe that humanity will not destroy itself. We've had too many chances to do that, but we never did.
> 
> If it was gonna happen, it would have by now. But that doesn't mean the world of Avatar has to end up like that, even if weapons will always be more powerful than the defenses we create to combat them. That's just universal. Think about it. 
> 
> Artana fears what effectively happened to us. The Red Scare (ehhhh?) and around fifty years of "Duck and Cover". She has every right to be afraid of that, and it's perfectly reasonable for her to assume that the worst will come to pass if Spirit Weapons are allowed to exist. Of course, she's a fucking terrorist and is way too extreme in her mentality of fixing this problem (JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER TLOK VILLAIN WOW!) despite her having a really good point on a lot of levels. That was the goal for her, but the finale will reveal the rest of what she's about, which should, ideally, complete the effect I'm going for. As for what she wanted before this spirit weapon crisis, she's not lying. It is also, in my opinion, what the Red Lotus was most likely about before Zaheer sort of...forgot to read the rest of the pamphlet lol. She'll get more detailed on what exactly she's talking about, but it would have been long winded if she just ranted about that specific part.
> 
> ...btw, did anyone besides iviscrit and beech27 bother to actually look up what the name Artana means? Well, iviscrit just randomly knew what it meant, but still. In Sanskirt (many Earth Kingdom names are derived from this), it has a few translations. The two most important ones for this context are "Vanquisher of All Foes" and "Sandstorm". 
> 
> But, y'know, one of the most fun parts of making it this far is that I can FINALLY reveal what the actual name of the Four-Part finale is:
> 
> SPIRIT BREACH.
> 
> Yeah. Let that sink in, and all that it entails. Before you ask, no, Vaatu is not involved, and he never was in this story. 
> 
> No idea when that's coming out (aiming for on/before the 1-Year Anniversary of the Series Finale :D ), but it's about 30% done as of me writing this. It's gonna be huge. In the mean time, and I can't encourage this enough: re-read the story. I can all but guarantee that it's going to be a lot more interesting now that you know more or less the entire thing. Also, the finale will draw heavily from EVERYTHING, so...not a bad idea to get a little bit of a refresher. But, if you simply don't have that kind of time, then just re-watch 2x19 of ATLA (The Guru) and 2x14 of TLOK (Light in the Dark) for...reasons. They're great episodes anyway, so why not?
> 
> Oh, and if you saw all/some of this chapter coming, let me know how and when you figured it out! Along with, y'know, any other loud or random thoughts you may or may not have. :D


	24. Spirit Breach, Part I: Sandstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betrayal wasn't new to Asami, but having armor as strong as Korra was. Even then, she'd played her part just as anticipated. Asami had been stabbed in the back. Mostly by her own hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by thejmpr, technical editing by beech27 and Kuvira/Baatar consulting by iviscrit
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_One Year, Two Weeks after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Autumn, 175 A.G._

 

 

Korra twisted the phone line around her finger and peaked out the window of Tenzin’s office. Ikki and Meelo zipped around the gardens, circling Bolin over and over. He kept leaping out to try and catch one of them as they flew by, but it wasn’t quite a game of tag he could actually win. Even if he wasn’t an earthbender, since Opal was having a bit of trouble herself.

She dialed the number with the rotary and adjusted the receiver. It was a good day. No reason to be anxious.

“ _Raiko residence, Koryu speaking.”_

“Mister President, it’s Korra.”

“ _Avatar Korra, well this is a welcome change of pace. Thank you for taking the time to use the telephone instead of your usual method of communication.”_

Korra rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re welcome.” She frowned. “Look, Raiko, Tenzin told me about the speech you’re making this afternoon. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

_“And why is that?”_

“Why do you think? We have no idea if we’ve actually destroyed the Red Lotus or not! Telling people that we have—-”

_“Avatar Korra, with all due respect, whatever remnants of the Red Lotus that may or may not still exist are almost certainly disorganized and without purpose.”_

“We can’t know that for sure.”

_“Of course not, but we can make reasonable, educated and calculated risks. You destroyed their base of operations, and the information we discerned from the documents you recovered has only reinforced that they were all but wiped out.”_

“Yeah, I know, but I really think we should wait until we’re sure.”

“ _In an ideal world, I would agree with you. But that’s not the one we live in. People need to feel safe again, Avatar Korra, regardless of the truth. They need to hear that there won’t be anymore bombings. They need to know that their neighbor is just working late, and not actually a member of an international terrorist organization. The last thing we need is another surge of ‘equalist hunts’.”_

Korra sighed. She couldn’t argue with that. “...and when everyone believes they’re safe, we make sure they stay that way.”

_“Exactly. As we’ve discussed, we need to deal with this issue covertly, if possible. This is our chance to do so. Is that clear?”_

“Yeah…” Korra spotted Jinora meditating below one of the larger trees near the gazebos and furrowed her brow. “I understand.”

 _“Good._ ” He hung up the phone, and Korra did as well.

Korra absently spun the globe on Tenzin’s end table and let it drag her finger along with it. Zaheer had to be lying. The sandbender was dead, because there was no way anyone, or anything, could escape a blast like that. It destroyed an entire volcano, so what chance did one person—-or, apparently, one woman—-have at outswimming it? There was just no way.

Well, unless they somehow managed to use the submarines in that hangar. Those might’ve been fast enough to escape the blast radius in time. And it’d be even easier if they...used the giant hole in the ground that she’d drilled to get there herself…

Oh. Huh.

“Jinora!” called Korra, sticking her head out the window. “Could you come here a second?”

 

* * *

 

“Controlled detonation in three, two…” said Baatar, flipping up the safety catch of the detonator. “One.” He looked away from the inevitable blinding purple flash and squeezed the trigger, leaving yet another smoking crater in the otherwise obliterated field that was once Asami’s test track. The defense pillar consumed the energy, just as it always did, and a green flare shot into the sky, joining the few others that hadn’t quite burned out yet. “That should be the last of them.”

“Yes.” Kuvira nodded, moving closer to the bunker’s windows. “All four hundred and sixty seven spirit vines, everything we took from the Red Lotus.” She glanced up, catching his eyes. “Thank you for letting me see it myself.”

“We both needed to see it done right,” Baatar said, signing off on the completion paperwork and setting down his clipboard. He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a shame about the test track, though.”

“It can be repaired.” She narrowed her eyes at the bombed out field. “What’s our next step?”

“Next step?”

“Just because we destroyed the vines, this isn’t over. We have to be prepared for the next offensive, and begin developing further defensive measures.”

“You’d have to take up future measures with Asami or Raiko, maybe Korra,” Baatar said, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. “My authority doesn’t extend that far.”

Kuvira glanced back at the large stack of papers on a table in the center of the bunker. “So these are all the copies of documents procured from the Red Lotus.”

Baatar skimmed through the travel logs and shipping manifests. “I believe so.”

“If that’s the case, then…” Kuvira sifted through the mountains of paperwork until she came upon a cardboard tube. She popped the top and slid a large rolled up map out of the bottom. “May I take a closer look?”

Baatar shrugged. “I’m not about to stop you. What is it?”

“A map.” She unrolled the map and scrutinized it, raising a brow after a thoughtful silence. “It looks like they were using it to keep track of agent locations and targets.”

Baatar examined the map, leaning over her shoulder. It was extremely detailed, a map of the world showing not only national and regional boundaries, but also their topography, very much like an atlas. The major population centers, he noted, were covered in simple symbols and markings. His eyes flicked from dot to colored dot. “Are you sure you got this at the Boiling Rock?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Because I think I’ve seen it before.” Baatar searched through several drawers and cabinets across the bunker, pulling excess equipment out of storage and ducking his head into lockers. Finally, he found what he was looking for. Another cardboard tube, with another map inside. He unrolled it and laid the two of them next each other.

The scattered symbols were different, and there were quite a few more on the one belonging to the Red Lotus, but other than that, they were effectively identical.

Kuvira stiffened, looking from one map to the other. “What is this?”

“The one I just grabbed is a current map of every UDS pillar in the world, as of last week. As for the Red Lotus, I’m not sure. There’s no reason to install a defense system in the middle of the Si Wong, or in the frozen tundra surrounding the Water Tribes. No one lives there.”

Kuvira traced her hand from Ba Sing Se to Republic City. “Then those are most likely agent locations or safe houses. I’m sure the United Forces are already investigating, but we can send them the intel just in case—”

Baatar shook his head and stroked his chin. “No, I think…” Something wasn’t adding up. Putting safe houses and defense pillars on the same map didn’t make sense. And even if they were agent locations, why was one assigned for every pillar? That would mean the Red Lotus still numbered in the hundreds, at the very least. “This doesn’t feel right. How could they have so many agents?”

“Planned sabotage?”

“That’s the simple answer, but with the Red Lotus…” Baatar slammed a stack of academic papers on to the table and handed the top one to Kuvira, entitled _Spirit Vine Metaphysics_. “Things are rarely that simple, but in this case I think you’re right. They were planning to sabotage the system.”

Kuvira picked up the journal and flipped open the first page. “And they could have done that in any number of ways. Exploiting a blind spot or weakness we’ve dismissed. It’s possible. Probable, even.”

“That is exactly what worries me. I didn’t build this system, or even design it.”

Kuvira set down the journal, smiling hesitantly. “Then you should conduct a complete systems check.”

“You have more confidence in one man than you do in Future Industries’ entire development team?”

“Not quite. I have more confidence in _you_.”

Baatar grinned. “All the more reason to check.”

 

* * *

 

Asami pulled the curtains back on her office picture window, welcoming the midmorning sun, as well as the inevitable glow of the spirit portal. Thankfully, both were mostly yellow and white, so it didn’t ruin the meticulously balanced color of her office. Traffic raged on below, tiny satomobiles swerving in and out at every chance they could. The elevated train system zipped between buildings, keeping everything to a very tight schedule. Street corners were filled with merchants, the docks brought in ship after ship; Republic City was moving.

Moving on. Moving forward. For the first time in four years, her home actually looked like its old self again. If not quite a bit greener, of course, among other things.

There was a knock at her door and Asami snapped out of her daydream. It was too early to be caught up in hopeful musings in the first place. “I’ll be with you in a moment!” She walked back over to her desk and shifted a few papers back into place. Budget applications and financial reports, mostly. She looked up at the clock.

Noon. An hour and a half until lunch, then.

“Come in,” she said, leaning over her desk and skimming a partially obscured newspaper article about the most recent Red Lotus accusation burst. Apparently, the entire Fire Nation royal family had ‘known ties’ to the organization. Ridiculous.

Artana walked through the door, thick folder in hand. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I wanted to discuss a few things about my position here.”

Asami looked up from her papers. “If you came in here to give me a presentation on why you should get a raise, it won’t work. Just a fair warning.”

“Nothing quite so self-indulgent, I’m afraid. I wanted to propose a new project for the Applied Spirit Physics Division.” She slid the folder on to her desk and sat down across from her.

“...a division which has not existed for quite some time, Artana.” Asami raised a brow at the folder and settled into her own chair. She picked it up and carefully opened it. “I understand your enthusiasm for continuing the UDS’ development, but the rather...vast amount of resources required to keep our small team running have all been reallocated to our many military contracts.”

“I understand that. What I have here is an alternative. It pays for itself, thanks to funding from the Fire Nation, and does not require the cooperation of Varrick Global Industries.”

“Cost was never the issue, Artana. Priorities are.” Asami quickly read through the first few pages of travel documentation, projected costs, training regimens, and several adaptable timeframes. It was comprehensive, she had to admit. But the destination and research camp’s location was troubling. “You want to establish a permanent research station in the Foggy Swamp to further study the vines. Self-sustaining and isolated.” Asami closed the folder. “I appreciate the effort you put into this, I truly do, but as we’ve discussed before, we cannot afford to waste any more time on defensive measures.”

“Defensive measures that are inherently flawed.”

“It is not _flawed._ It possesses limitations, just like everything else.”

Artana huffed. “You can’t sit there and truly believe that hundreds of thousands dead, relative to millions, is an acceptable end result.”

Asami frowned. “It isn’t, but for the moment, it’s all we have. Artana, please try to understand. What you’re proposing isn’t strictly possible. Neutralizing the potential destructive properties of spirit vines would be like altering a law of physics. This path is a dead end, and we have to accept that.”

“I won’t and I can’t. You yourself told me that nothing was impossible, though it may be for the moment. We need to be on the ground floor of that inevitable breakthrough when it happens. We need to be prepared.”

“When I said that, I was referring to dramatic changes of the status quo! Not manipulating the very foundation of reality to our own devices!” Asami sighed. “Opening a Spirit Portal downtown may cause great cascading change throughout the world, but it is not change that was previously impossible. Believe it or not, that actually had precedent. The rules that our lives abide by allow for these things to occur, no matter how impossible they may seem at the time.”

“I can’t believe it.” Artana narrowed her eyes. “You’ve given up.”

Asami straightened in her seat. “I’m not saying that. That’s not what I do.”

“How is this any different? You’re refusing to move forward because you believe that any effort to do so is futile.”

“Artana, what you want to accomplish is on an _entirely different level_ than anything that has ever happened before! We’d be having the same conversation if you wanted to find a way to create a machine that travels through time!”

“The Red Lotus—-”

Asami stood from her seat. “—- _is gone._ Effectively wiped out, no matter what those daily accusers spout over the radio. I can personally assure you that whatever plans they had set in motion are irrelevant. They have no support, no logistical center, and no remaining command structure. That is, if even a single agent still exists.” She set her jaw. “From here on out, one of our integral roles is to assist in any and all military action against those who would pursue spirit weapon technology. Do you understand?”

Artana stared at her for a long moment. “That fight will never end.” She grabbed her folder and flipped to the back pages, staring at one for a few silent seconds. “Our children’s children—-”

“I know.”

“This is not up for debate, then.”

“I’m sorry. It’s not.”

Artana shook her head slowly and slid a form onto her desk. “If that’s your position, then I can’t, in good conscience, work here for the foreseeable future.”

Asami’s gaze softened and was taken aback. She picked up the military service leave of absence request and quickly read through it. “I...are you sure? Artana, if you don’t want to work in weapons development, I’m sure I can transfer you to a different position—-”

“Asami, please.” She held up her palm. “I appreciate the offer, but if I can’t fight back against the vines, and the threat they pose, I need to focus on the other ways I can help the world. Do my part, so to speak.” She rose from her seat. “I _was_ a citizen of the Earth Empire, and I don’t want to see all of my efforts crumble from the other side of the border. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

Asami sighed. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to convince you to stay? Your work here has been exceptional, the rest of the senior staff enjoy working with you, and to be perfectly honest, the engineering work you’d do for the United Forces would be a tremendous waste of your abilities.”

“Flattering, but unless you can grant my request, or we can reach a compromise, I’m afraid I have to leave.”

Asami gave her a small, sad smile. Clever. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Artana tilted her head. “And you’re absolutely positive of this? There is no deal we can strike? No small compromise to be made?”

“Unfortunately, no. For a variety of personal, ethical and geopolitical reasons, what you want just isn’t possible on any level.”

“Then it was truly an honor working with you,” said Artana, extending her hand. “I hope that—-” She jolted upright and stumbled into Asami’s desk, slamming her leg into the wood. Artana shook out her head and looked around herself, confused. “That was odd.”

Asami stared at her incredulously. Something about it seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Are you all right?”

“I’m...fine, yes. I just felt a strange shock in my lower back.” She rubbed her back and wrinkled her nose. “Strange.” She gave Asami’s hand a firm shake. “Until we meet again.”

Asami smiled and nodded. “Indeed. And just so you know, if you choose to return, your position will remain open to you indefinitely.”

“Thank y—-”

The air above Artana shimmered and quickly turned blue, forming itself into Jinora’s projected spirit. She hovered over the both of them, her eyes wide in shock. “Oh! I’m sorry to interrupt! I’ll see you later Asami!” And just like that, she vanished.

Artana stared up at the space where Jinora had been with a baffled expression. “What...was that Jinora? How is that possible?”

Asami chuckled. “Believe me, I sort of wish it wasn’t. She can project her spirit over great distances, and apparently hone in on another person’s spiritual energy or...something. I’m not too clear on how that works. Korra can do something similar too, but it’s more like—-”

The phone rang, and Asami held up her finger. “Don’t leave just yet, there’s one more thing I wanted to say.” She picked up the phone. “Asami Sato speaking.”

 _“Asami, do not react to anything I say,”_ said Korra, with a twinge of panic. “ _Do you understand?_

Asami’s breath caught in her throat, but only for a moment.

“Hey, Korra.” Asami turned to face the large picture window and wrapped her fingers around the line. Her mind tried to drown itself in paranoia; news of more bombings or terrorist attacks. Maybe Mako had died saving someone? No, no, Korra would be in tears, and Jinora wouldn’t have projected her spirit so it would have to be a secret. And an emergency. She swallowed. “Mhmm.”

“ _Zaheer said that the sandbender was still alive—-don’t ask me why—-so Jinora and I tracked her spirit just to be sure.”_

Asami felt her heart rate spike, but calmed herself with a few silent breaths. She wasn’t sure how discreet she’d made them, or if her skin was becoming as clammy and pale as she believed it was, but she couldn’t—-she had to remain calm. Calm down or die. “Really? I had no idea. Korra, I’m very sorry, but I’m in the middle of a meeting at the moment. Can I call you back?”

“ _It’s Artana. It’s her. She’s the sandbender, and I need you to keep her in your office. Just keep her occupied and I’ll be right there, okay? Whatever it takes, do not let her leave.”_

“One thirty? Gotcha. Okay, talk to you soon. I love you, bye!” Asami hung up the phone a little too hard and smiled a little too wide at Artana. Artana, the sandbender who should be dead. Artana, an absolutely terrifying bender with a mind to match. “She wanted to know if we should try this new takeout place. I’m not sold on it, but she was just so enthusiastic, so I thought, why not?”

Artana smiled, and it was...it was real. It was all real. The work, the passion for it, the morals—-how had...it didn’t make sense. It wasn’t possible. But, yet, it was, standing in front of her, and it took nearly every ounce of self-restraint she had not to flip the table over and crack Artana’s head open. Because Asami doubted she was fast enough. She just had to keep her talking, because that was what Korra wanted, and it was something she could absolutely do because she was fantastic at keeping things to herself.

“Asami?”

Asami cleared her throat. “Yes? I’m sorry, I’m very hungry and got distracted. I guess my stomach knows me a little better than I thought.” She sat back down and motioned for Artana to do the same. Asami looked at Artana for a brief moment, desperately wracking her brain for another delaying tactic——and there it was. “I’m just…” Asami ran her hand under the lip of her desk, her index finger resting just above her panic button. “It’s silly.”

Artana’s gaze softened. “What? I’m sure it’s not as silly as you think.”

“Well…” She dug around in her desk drawer, searching for the board. “It’s just that I’ll miss having someone who, well…” She set the Pai Sho board on her desk and smiled. “Knows the old ways, so to speak. How about it? One last game. For old time’s sake.”

Artana shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” She sat across from her, unfolded the board, and began splitting the game pieces between them. “At least you can guarantee me a challenge, unlike that fool, Lee.”

“He couldn’t have been that much of a fool if he’d infiltrated the White Lotus for that many years.”

“I respectfully disagree,” she said, making the first move. “Any operative with a job like that, assuming they have half a mind, shouldn’t have been so careless.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Asami stared at the wooden board. She couldn’t focus on the game. She had to plan ahead in the event that she couldn’t keep Artana in the room long enough. The platinum shutters her panic button provided would stall Artana, but then she was facing a genius engineer who could figure out how to disable it. She didn’t have her glove, or any real weapons of any kind, so she’d have to hit her first, and make it count. “The Red Lotus must’ve been getting desperate.” Slowly, she placed a lotus tile a few spaces from the center.

“Desperate?” she scoffed. “Hardly. He played whatever part he was supposed to play, I’m sure.” She rolled a tile between her fingers. “At the time, it felt like overkill to me. I thought the point was made quite clear by the first two spirit bombings. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“Yes, well, the Red Lotus has never been known for their...well, they’ve never been known for _anything,_ really.”

“And we all know who screwed _that_ up…” Artana said, rolling her eyes. She dropped a tile beside Asami’s lotus. “Honestly, it’s like that man looked at the back cover of a yuan store novel about political theory and just ran with it.”

Asami frowned. “I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from speaking about him so casually.”

Artana regarded her for a moment, her eyebrows slowly knitting together. “You know, I was in Ba Sing Se when the fires started. I saw firsthand the level of destruction a man like that is capable of inciting. Merely on a whim.” She leaned back in her chair. “I’m sympathetic to the pain Korra had to suffer because of him, but we both lost someone we loved in the days following the Queen’s death.” She rubbed her arm. “Though yours came back, so I suppose it’s not quite the same.”

“I’m sorry.” Asami’s next piece hovered over the board, which thankfully projected the illusion of her feeling any sort of remorse or empathy toward the woman in front of her. “Who were they? If you don’t mind me asking.” She set her piece down, moving into the next phase of some old strategy that never worked. Something to do with jings.

“It’s all right. It's been over four years. Plenty of time to grieve.” Artana inspected the board and rubbed her chin. “Her name was Nilani. She was a sculptor. A non-bender; not the poor craftsmanship that most earthbenders try to show off as masterworks. A true master of her craft. She had a way of moving the earth that I just couldn’t comprehend.” Artana smiled ruefully. “I guess she’d say the same about me, though, as trite as that sounds.”

“What happened to her?”

“She burned,” whispered Artana. “I think. We never found her body.” She shrugged. “I’m surprised you have any interest in this at all, considering the circumstances. Not that I don’t appreciate it, I do, but I expected a more...verbose reaction.”

Asami tilted her head. “What are you talking about?”

“Your stalling tactics. They’re quite civil.”

“I’m not—-” Asami felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She took a tiny, shuddering breath and glued her eyes on Artana. There was no way she could possibly have figured out that her cover had been blown——Shit, right, of course. “...they don’t need to track my spirit. They have my office number.”

Artana nodded and set another piece down on the board, moving forward with an aggressive maneuver Asami’d not seen her favor before. “Exactly. They tracked my spirit. Twice. Jinora was most likely confirmation, but it makes sense that I’d be ‘outed’ by a factor I couldn’t have accounted for. No matter how well you prepare, you can never counter _two_ unquantifiable variables.”

Asami stared blankly at Artana for a few tense, silent moments. She could hear her heart pounding in her ear, and her breath becoming short. She licked the inside of her lips and checked the clock. Twenty more minutes. “I brought you into the country.”

“Yes. Thank you for that.”

“I gave you shelter. A job. A place to belong. I _trusted_ you. And all this time, it was all a lie.” Asami shook her head and glowered at her. “I don’t even know why I’m surprised at all. It’s not like this is new for me.”

Artana raised her brows. “I never lied to you.”

“You——are you serious!? You’re Red Lotus. The _sandbender, a_ nd I don’t understand why you haven’t just tried to kill me yet!” She widened her eyes. “Or Tenzin and his family, or any of us. This doesn’t make sense!”

Artana folded her hands on the table. “My role was never to kill you. Or Korra. Or anyone, really. At least not directly.”

“What? Then...wait—-” Asami stared at her incredulously. “Shouldn’t you be trying to run?”

“I can leave if you’d like, but it doesn’t matter either way.” She shrugged. “My fate is irrelevant. You seem to be under the false assumption that I want to hurt you, despite evidence to the contrary.”

Asami rubbed her temples. “So...you’re just going to sit there?”

“For the moment. You are very intent on keeping me here, for reasons that are not lost on me. But in the time we have, since we’re both on the same page and you no longer have any reason to feign interest, I’d rather we continue our previous conversation but in a more…” Artana narrowed her eyes. “...direct fashion.”

“The vines,” she seethed.

“Yes. The vines. They pose a threat greater than the Avatar herself.”

“That doesn’t sound like a very Red Lotus thing to believe.”

“Your understanding of the Red Lotus is inherently flawed, as well as juvenile. Any and all information on us, with the exception of Zaheer’s moronic running mouth, were things we wanted you to know. To assume. That we were terrorists focused entirely on the destruction of civilization at its core. Anarchists, pure and simple.” She frowned. “The truth is far more complex, and would take more time than we have to explain in proper detail. For now, all you need to know is that we both want the same thing: Indefinite safety from the threat of spirit weaponry.”

“Complex? From my perspective, all you do is slaughter and destroy, because you _can_.” Asami scowled. “You murdered over two hundred thirty thousand people! You committed the two most devastating terrorist attacks in human history! How is that trying to keep anyone _safe_ from the very weapons you used to do that?!”

Artana’s neutral expression slowly faded, contorting into an intense frown. “That was a glimpse of the inevitable. If it hadn’t been us, it would have been someone else. Eventually. It was supposed to provoke fear on a global level, so that no one, _ever,_ would doubt the destructive capabilities of spirit weaponry.”

“Are you trying to tell me that all of that, the nightmare you threw us in, was nothing more than _warning shot?!”_

“I am! A warning that no one seemed to listen to! Raiko’s little speech was nice, but that’s all it was. A speech.” Artana shook her head. “The world read their newspapers and listened to their radios from the comfort of their own homes and, collectively, said aloud ‘Oh, what a horrible tragedy’. And that was it. Back to business as usual.” She leaned over the table, glaring her down. “What changed? What truly came about because of those bombings?”

“We destroyed—-”

“You did what we wanted you to do, and even then the Boiling Rock was a contingency in the event that the _mass killings_ didn’t motivate you enough to keep trying to neutralize the vines!” Artana growled. “This knowledge cannot be removed from our collective consciousness by slaughtering those who would seek it! Humanity _will_ destroy itself, and everything else, unless we find a solution. Perhaps not soon, but eventually. And in all the years and decades to come, every man, woman and child will be forced to live with the terror that looms over their heads that yes, total spirit weapon annihilation can happen at any time. Anywhere. With no warning.”

“I understand that.”

“Is that what you want? For potential centuries of paranoia?!”

Asami glowered at her and stood from her seat. “Of course not, but none of this would even be happening if the Red Lotus hadn’t started developing spirit weapons in…” She paled and felt bile rise in her throat. “...in the first...place…”

Artana nodded. “That’s it. Put the pieces together.”

Asami shivered and stared blankly at their Pai Sho board. “You... _wanted_ us to find that truck. Because if we hadn’t, then…” She covered her mouth with her hand. She’d been a tool. A tile in a massive game. And she’d performed exactly as scripted.

“Then you would never have attempted to research potential defense systems against the spirit vines. You wouldn’t have had a reason, so we created one. We had to, or no one would be prepared for the destruction that was to come.”

Asami shook her head. “You’re just proving your own theories. You’re the only ones who have used spirit weapons since Kuvira’s invasion.”

“That is entirely irrelevant. If not us, as I have already explained to you, it would have been someone else!“ Artana slammed her fist into the table and sliced her finger at the spirit vine growing out of the wall. “There is a vine large enough to destroy this entire building _growing through your wall!_ Thank goodness that downed powerlines don’t have enough electrical charge to actually trigger the reaction, or this city would have been obliterated mere hours after Unalaq flooded the streets with vines!”

“Artana, I can’t work on the vines! There’s nothing I can do!” Asami gnashed her teeth together. “And why does it have to be _me?!_ Why can’t you do it? Actually, why are you even here in the first place?!”

“Because you’re smarter than me! You’re better at this! That was the whole fucking point!” yelled Artana. “I made a gamble that you would understand the science behind this magnitudes more than anyone else on this planet, and I was _right._ I thought it would take years to make any sort of breakthrough in spirit weapon defense, but you did it in months!” She laughed bitterly. “The only thing I’m good for on this project is consulting work.” She massaged her temples. “I’m here because I needed to oversee this personally, but that’s not entirely accurate.” She sighed. “I wasn’t lying when I said it was an honor working with you.”

Asami looked at the clock. Ten minutes, and Artana was most likely going to kill her just before Korra arrived, on the assumption that it would break her. Of course, Asami knew that wouldn’t work. Far from it. “I’m sure you understand if I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth.”

“I am no liar.”

“You’re a spy.”

“An exceptional spy has no need for deception. I have never lied to you, and I do try my best never to do so to others.” She frowned. “I find it distasteful.”

“I don’t care.” Asami scowled and slid her fingers underneath her desk, toward her panic button. Artana’s guard had been down their entire conversation, and she wouldn’t have a better opportunity. One solid hit. That’s all it would take.

“You should—-”

“Go fuck yourself.” Asami slapped her panic button, and six inch thick platinum shutters descended from the ceiling, encasing the both of them in a hermetically sealed box. She leaped over the table and slammed her fist into Artana’s throat—-Asami screamed out in pain as her knuckles struck solid steel, her bones breaking and splintering all the way into her forearm.

Artana glared at her as the metal plate vanished from the flesh of her throat, slinking its way back down to her steel-toed boots. “Impatience leads to pain. I think we both know that.” She violently grabbed Asami’s broken arm, digging her fingers into the forearm and twisting.

Asami cried out and took in as much air as she could, forcing herself to stay lucid. She couldn’t risk another attack; Artana would just psychically bend another piece of metal in her way. She still needed to keep her attention, even if Artana was aware of her plan. Korra would still beat her. “And you’ve certainly been very patient. You want to lecture me on my trusting nature? I can’t exactly refuse.”

“It doesn’t matter. None of this does. If you won’t continue researching the vines, then there’s no point.” Artana titled her head and eased her grip. “I’ll ask again. Will you continue your research?”

“For the last time, _there’s nothing more to resea—-”_ Asami was thrown backward into the vine growing through the wall, hitting it shoulder first. She crumbled to the ground, and shook as searing pain burned through her, adrenaline pumping as quickly as her body would allow. She gasped as she was lifted up by the neck and pinned to the wall by metal strips, binding her neck and ankles to the platinum.

“You need to let go of your misguided preconceptions of how this world, and the other, works.” Artana walked around the table and shoved Asami’s chair out of the way. She sat on the lip of her desk and frowned. “One way or another, you _will_ continue your research. I don’t care what it takes. War, famine, millions of civilian casualties. My own death. The complete annihilation of civilization itself, both ours and the spirits. Even if I have to tear the barrier that binds our worlds apart to convince you, I will.”

Asami coughed and struggled to breath. “You’re insane. Fine. Kill yourself. Right now, in front of me.”

Artana rolled her eyes. “It’s not that simple, and that would be an unwise course of action. If I can’t convince you today, it’s not just you who loses. Everyone does. There is no version of this story where the Red Lotus does not win, in some form.”

“N—-now you’re just rambling...” she stuttered. “If you die, you fail. Simple.”

“No. Whether I live or die at this stage is irrelevant. You cannot stop what is to come. The Red Lotus is formless and essentially autonomous. In fact, my cover here hasn’t mattered for months. I was simply content to continue working with you.”

Asami’s eyes snapped towards the clock—-which was behind six inches of platinum. Well.  
She hadn’t thought of that. “You keep saying that.”

“I do, and I mean it. Don’t worry about the time, by the way. I know exactly how much we have left.” Artana rested her hands on in her lap. “When I was about your age, perhaps a little younger, the newspapers would often be filled with articles about the newest technological marvels coming out of Republic City. Every week or so it seemed like there’d be another breakthrough. Another miracle. Another masterpiece by none other than the world’s leading innovator. Hiroshi Sato.”

Asami scowled, but said nothing.

“To say that your father was an inspiration would be a disservice to his work. He’s the reason I became an engineer in the first place. I thought, perhaps one day, I would be able to travel to Republic City, and get a job here. Nothing so important as what you gave me, but…” She hummed nostalgically. “...the greatest change occurs around those with the most power, and they are often the ones fighting that very same change. Which made leaving Ba Sing Se quite difficult. Even twenty years ago, crossing the border into the United Republic was a nightmare thanks to the Dai Li.”

“The Queen didn’t like losing her best subjects.”

“Yes, that must have been it. The Red Lotus showed me an alternative to leaders like her. A world that was whole. One without borders, where government wasn’t restrictive, but rather constructive. Where loyalty was not to some arbitrary flag of nationalism, but rather to like-minded individuals. Communities. Families. Loved ones.”

Asami calmed her breathing and blinked sweat out of her eyes. “It’s a nice sentiment, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

“It’s what your father fought for. In a sense.”

“What?”

“He wanted everyone to be treated with respect and dignity, but went about that by means of genocide. When I read that your father was the true mastermind behind the Equalists and their slow, methodical rise to power over the course of more than a decade—-with Amon being the charismatic figurehead to boost membership—-I’d all but given up hope that I’d ever get to work here. With him.” Artana smiled. “But...then _you_ came along.”

Asami struggled in her bindings. “I don’t care about any of this. All you’re doing is burning time.”

Artana shrugged. “Yes, that’s the point. It’s rather obvious.” She cleared her throat. “Right. You’re smarter than him. Faster. More adaptable. And when Kuvira revealed her weapon to the world, I still had hope that the worst would not come to pass because _you_ were still in play. After all, you were the one who created that incredibly useful bending enhancement suit.”

“How do you know about that?!”

“Extensive testing.” Artana unbuttoned her jacket and pulled her collar down. She was wearing one. An older model, but _hers_ all the same. “Easily the most unappreciated of your creations. I mean no disrespect to your father’s accomplishments and intelligence, but you are the single best suited person to tackle this crisis.” She sighed. “It’s truly a tragedy that he died—-”

“ _Killed.”_

“Fine. Killed. Were he still here, I’ve no doubt that if the both of your minds were working together, you’d be able to solve this problem.” Artana crossed her arms. “However, on the other side of the spectrum, his death was _very_ convenient. He had over a decade of experience in conspiracy and underground revolution, so he would have figured this out long before our fates were sealed. But you?” She smiled again. “Your nature made it all that much easier. You lack the perspective that he had. You don’t _think_ that way.”

Asami scowled. “You’d be surprised.”

“Perhaps.” Artana released Asami from her bindings, dropping her to the floor. “But it doesn’t matter. Our time is almost up.” She pressed the panic button again, raising the platinum shutters back into the ceiling. “You’re not a soldier, Asami. It doesn’t matter how brilliant you are if you lack the right mentality.”

“Korra can beat you,” Asami growled, failing to deflect Artana from helping her up to her feet. “She will. She’ll stop you, no matter what you’re trying to do. You can’t account for what she’s capable of. Even if you kill me, she’ll just tear you apart.”

Artana raised a brow. “Kill you? Why would I want to kill you? You’re the perfect distraction.” She grabbed Asami by the broken arm and violently kicked her table into the large picture window, cracking it. “The Avatar is a variable that cannot be quantified, so one must remove her from the equation, even if only temporarily.” She kicked the table again, cracking the window further and causing it to shudder. “And that is one thing that Zaheer _almost_ got right. Until he tried to kill her.”

Asami’s eyes widened and she clenched her teeth, forcing her way through the searing pain in her arm. “You’re...you’re going to throw me out the window?!”

“Exactly.” Artana kicked the table one final time, shattering through the glass and sending it falling to the street below. Forty stories down. Wind blew wildly through the massive hole in Asami’s office and Artana shoved her toward the edge. “Just because my life is irrelevant, doesn’t mean I don’t fully intend on seeing this through to the end. Which is where _you_ come in.”

Asami stumbled backwards and papers flew into her face. She swatted them out of the way and looked at the clock. Which had stopped. “Artana, if you—-”

“Don’t worry, _noodles._ ” Artana smiled. “It’s 1:30. She’ll catch you.”

Asami felt the air leave her lungs as Artana’s boot smashed into her chest, sending her hurtling out the window. She flipped and twisted through the air, screaming, falling faster and faster toward the pavement, the crowd already gathered at the shattered desk. She felt air swirl around her unnaturally, drifting her away from the side of the tower and changing her angle of descent. Someone grabbed her broken arm, and she stopped falling. She had just enough time to look up at Korra, terrified, before blacking out from the pain.

 

* * *

 

Korra panicked as Asami went limp in her grasp. She tossed her glider away and metalbent her cables around Asami’s waist before she could fall any further. She pulled her close and moved with the wind, creating a cushioning cyclone to slow their descent. She landed them in an alleyway across the street and carefully set Asami down on the ground.

Korra drew water from her skin in one hand and checked Asami’s pulse with the other. Stable, and her breathing was regular, too. She exhaled a held breath and quickly ran her hands across Asami’s body, the healing glow of the water probing for any internal injuries. Aaaaaaand her right arm was broken. Badly. The arm she’d grabbed out of the sky.

It needed to be reset.

Korra bit her lip and gently positioned herself beside Asami. “Sorry,” she whispered. With a crack, she clamped Asami’s broken arm back into place and, after calling upon Raava’s light, rapidly repaired the fractures along her bones, pushing Asami’s healing process far beyond its normal limitations. Her swelling vanished in mere moments.

Asami awoke with a start, sweat pouring down her forehead and sticking to her hair. She winced and doubled over as best she could, pain etching its way across her face.

Korra’s eyes faded to blue. “Hey. Hey, look at me.” She did. “You’re fine. Your right arm, wrist and knuckles were broken pretty bad, but you’re okay. Already patched up.”

“What? How…” Asami blinked several times and looked down at her fully functioning arm. She rubbed her forehead with her good hand. “How long was I out?”

“Maybe a minute.”

Asami grunted and Korra helped her to her feet. “Took her down that fast, huh? Told her you’d beat her.”

“Asami, she’s still out there, and I can’t just leave you here in an alley—-”

“Yes you can! And you will! This is part of her plan! Use me to distract you long enough to escape!” Asami groaned. “She knows _exactly_ where you are right now, so she’s still in control, and, damnit, just leave me here! I’ll be fine!”

“Just needed to be sure.” Korra nodded and crouched to the ground, resting her palm on the concrete. She tapped into the spiritual energy of the world around her, letting it flow through her and guide her. Yellow light flickered around her hand and she moved with the current, her vision passing over raging traffic, thousands of whispers, the mobilising RCPD, and the calmness of the park. She rounded a street corner and found Artana, walking through the crowd a few blocks southwest.

“Where are the police? Actually, nevermind. I already know.”

“It’s not like that. They’re hanging back until she’s out in the open. Part of a plan we’ve had for a long time, if the sandbender were to attack the city again.” Korra stood and took a deep breath. “Kuvira and the RCPD are going to intercept Artana while I keep her busy. She hasn’t gone far.” Korra tapped the flare gun on her hip. “Green, she’s down. Red…” She looked back up at the shattered office window. “You get the idea.”

“Korra,” said Asami, drawing her attention. “She’s wearing a booster suit.”

“Then I’ll just have to hit her that much harder.” Korra pushed down into the concrete, splintering the earth around her, and launched herself up and over the alley. She kicked off the roof with a surge of fire, burning through the sky towards the bay. The air sang, and Korra frowned. She’d done this dance before. She spun, deflecting the shards of glass with airbending and dove toward their source.

Artana made eye contact with her, seemingly unfazed, and vanished in a thick cloud of dust and dirt that erupted out of the ground. The crowd around her coughed and scattered, but a lone metal cable shot through the cloud, latching on to a high rise and pulling Artana with it at high speed. She bounded around the corner, launching her other cable, and Korra knew exactly where she was headed.

Main Street. Six lanes of congested, loud metal traffic.

Korra banked and made the turn herself, but as soon as she did, the buildings on either side of her exploded inward, shooting stone and metal shrapnel at her from every direction. Without losing her momentum, she compressed them them into a large solid block and tossed it on to a nearby roof.

No fire, so no explosives. Artana was just trying to slow her down, but that wasn’t going to work. She boosted further and caught sight of her again, bobbing and weaving between satomobiles at street level. Which was utterly insane. And probably a game, which she wouldn’t be playing—-

A massive wall of concrete rose out of the ground, inches in front of her, sending satomobiles flying and others crashing front first into the stone at full speed. Korra smashed through the wall and her eardrums were overwhelmed with the sounds of fiery panic, screeching metal and enraged traffic. She saw Artana round the last corner, both cables catapulting her faster and faster.

A series of explosives detonated behind her, forcing Korra off balance and to reorient before making the turn. Her ears were ringing. Loudly. But that didn’t matter, because she’d caught up to that monster. Yueshore Drive. No buildings to hide behind, and nowhere to run—-

Large shards of glass sliced into her stomach and chest. She coughed up blood.

Korra’s body seized up, cutting off her supply of chi, and air, and sending her falling helplessly to the ground. Raava’s light tried to come forth, her eyes filling with light for only a moment, but she pushed her down. Not worth the risk. She couldn’t stop. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t slow down. Couldn’t fight.

All she could do was flail helplessly through air and watch as she crashed full speed into the side of an office building. She covered her head and smashed through the first few floors, crushing stone and steel all the way down into the basement. Just before she cracked her skull on the concrete, Raava won out and slowed her descent with air, flipping her on to her back.

The impact knocked out what little wind was left in her, and she struggled painfully to breath as the building cracked and debris settled around her. Everything was blurry, and she could only make out the vaguest off faces looking down at her from the floors she’d fallen through. But she could make out the fleet of Future Industries airships and Satohawks heading toward the beachhead.

Beachhead.

Korra’s eyes widened, and she barely made out the roaring din of Lin demanding that Artana stand down. She tried to sit up but groaned as pain stabbed through her and blood leaked out. She blinked, and the airships she could see were sheared in half by sand, exploding in a mangled mess of smog and fire. The Satohawks tried to fire, but were taken down by shots to the belly, engulfing them in smoke. More detonations echoed through the earth, shaking the ground and building around her.

And then, silence.

Korra sloppily swapped out her green flare for red and, with as steady aim as she could muster, fired up through the hole in the ceiling. Bright red pierced through the black smoke above her. Her arm collapsed at her side.

“...shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a Festivus Miracle! After all, George has yet to pin his father, so the Festival for The Rest Of Us isn't over! Also, Merry Christmas, I guess. 
> 
> [If the above sentence confuses you, please click this link. You will not be disappointed.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8rzt-vj2gU)
> 
> There's really not much to say here other than I'm psyched to finally say that, yes, we've made it to the home stretch. And damn does it feel good. But, if I had to mention a few things, it would be that the Artana/Asami conversation in this chapter was, well, it kind of goes without saying, doesn't it? All the 'lies' and twists and turns and seemingly meaningless details all amounting to one massive conspiracy that, heh, hasn't even been completely unveiled yet? That's my jam! I also hope that it's very clear here that Korra would have fucking CURBSTOMPED Artana had she not outsmarted her and planned for this eventuality so comprehensively. Because Artana is no match for Korra. Nobody is. Not even ~close~. So, she has to resort to different tactics. Distractions, putting innocents in danger, using literal and figurative smokescreens to accomplish her goals.
> 
> Somebody in the last chapter made the comparison to Owlman (specifically the DC Animated version from "Crisis on Two Earths", which is awesome) and there are ~some~ connections there but very few. Mostly just the 'Evil Batman' stuff, though I certainly hope that Artana doesn't come off as plain-and-simple Evil. Because that'd just be boring as hell. Oh, and I was ~so~ tempted to hyperlink the actual [Spirit Vine Metaphysics](http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/114642565116/spirit-vine-meta-physics-or-how-mako-nearly%22) post in the story itself once it showed up XD, but I figured it was too meta and would take you out of the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and stay tuned for Parts 2 through 4! Shit is STILL getting real :D


	25. Spirit Breach, Part II: Crack the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had happened before, and it was happening again. A choice, a refusal. And then, the unthinkable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by thejmpr, technical editing by beech27, Kuvira/Baatar and medical consulting by iviscrit. You guys are the best.

 

_One Year, Two Weeks after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Autumn, 175 A.G._

 

Varrick smacked his script and took a long hard look at all of his veteran, hard boiled and most likely stellar actors. From Bolin to that...one lady who was playing Asami, they were all fantastic. Except for when they weren't. Or asked too many questions. Which they did way more often when they shot ‘on location’.

Because apparently the docks were _so much more interesting than his mover._

“I just don’t see what the problem is!” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “You guys read the earlier drafts, and you didn’t have any complaints. Said it was brilliant! Unparalleled in the field of artistic expression!” He wrinkled his nose. “Zhu Li, were they lying, or did that actually happen, or, third option, am I remembering that wrong?”

“The second one, dear.”

“Fantastic!”

“Okay, yes, that’s true but…” said Bolin, flipping through the script. “...the ones you showed us didn’t have a scene where Asami sets herself on fire, which gives her super strength somehow, and then beats up a talking catgator with a doctorate in chemistry.” He shrugged. “It just seems really...weird and forced and out of place, and I don’t, uh, really understand the point of it?”

Varrick raised a brow. “It’s called an _allegory._ ”

“For what?”

“What?”

“What’s it an allegory for?”

“Well, _obviously_ it’s about, uh…” Varrick pinched his brow and spun in a circle. He held out his hand and closed his eyes. “Here, Bolin, give me the line.”

Bolin huffed. “Which one? The catgator just keeps going for over ten pages!”

“The long one about the noodles!”

“Uh, all right.” Bolin cleared his throat and, in a very confused tone, said the following words, exactly as most likely written and/or designed: “I’m a scientist. Therefore I can measure quality. Also, your research is both obvious and invisible at once. You know what I mean. I am a scientist, not a poet. I don’t know what proper metaphors are. Or similes. Also, I’m from the bottom of the ocean. Actually, I’m a flying saltwater catgator. I am a flying saltwater catgator scientist. I test things by biting them, and I bit your manifesto. I can taste the research. In the meat. Noodles? Anyway: science.”

Varrick rubbed his chin. “I’m going to be completely honest with you. I do not remember writing that at all, but I _love it_! It’s probably exactly what I wanted it to be! No, wait...” He pulled back and widened his eyes. “...is this before or after Asami punches the reality bubble so hard that we do the color bleed thing with the overexposed film?”

Bolin smacked his forehead. “Okay, _clearly_ there is a lot that we need to discuss because I thought this was supposed to be realistic!” He waved his arms. “Nothing even close to this happened when the Equalists were still around!”

“Of course not! That’s why it’s called an adaptation. And you can still use the VarriMethod, trademark, in the most extreme of situations!” He grinned. “Think of it like a big, fancy, expensive stress test!”

“I don’t know, Varrick. It feels like this whole thing is about to fall apart.” Bolin slumped forward and and gestured behind Varrick. “See? Now, I know for a fact that Beifong gave you a permit to blow up airships next week, not _today._ And that’s not even the scene we’re filming!”

Varrick wrinkled his nose and did a small spin, bending over and squinting at the airships across the bay. “Hey, I didn’t do that.” Which were exploding and falling from the sky seemingly at random. “We don’t even have cameras over there! What idiot messed with our scheduling?!” He snapped his fingers. “Also, feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before. Zhu Li?”

Zhu Li took a small breath. “It is...very similar to our arrival in Ba Sing Se.”

“That was it! Perfect!” He clapped his hands together in a grin, which quickly vanished. “No, wait, that was a bad thing. We almost died, right?”

Zhu Li was sweating. Zhu Li did not sweat. Or get nervous. “Yes. We almost did.”

Bolin started to pale. “Uhm, Varrick, did you rewrite it so that Satohawks were also exploding in the streets when the Equalists attacked because if you didn’t…”

“Then I have quite a few lawyers to call.” Varrick shook out his script and kept flipping pages until he got to the one he was looking for. Blatant plagiarism. “Whoever had the guts to steal from _my_ unreleased mover script has got another thing coming to them!”

Bolin frowned and forced him to look a little closer. With his fingers and pointing. At the shimmering streams of brown and beige flying through the sky and shearing metal like it was wet paper.

Varrick threw his hands into the air. “Oh, so they stole the _sandbender_ from me, too?!”

 

* * *

 

Kuvira was too late. She’d driven down the mountain in a roadster, and she still hadn’t been fast enough. The sandstorm at the edge of the bay raged on, swatting Satohawks out of the sky like flies and forcing the airships to pull back. A feeling of dread washed over her as she watched it happen all over again. Artana had all but destroyed her campaign before she’d even touched the ground in Ba Sing Se, and now she was doing the same to Republic City. Because she was the one that got away. The one she failed to track and kill.

Kuvira had been able to match Artana’s power at the Boiling Rock, barely, but back then she didn’t have an entire beach to draw from. Going in was suicide, and a fool’s errand at that. Still, she needed to even the odds—-

A red flare shot out an office building and into the smog, drawing the attention of her and everyone else stuck in traffic. Green, she’s down. Red, Korra’s down. And for her to be _down…_ Kuvira hopped out of the car and sprinted toward the hole in the building, keeping one eye on the battle still in full swing down the street. She used her cables to climb through the gap in the wall and rolled to a stop, ignoring the bewildered and angry looks the occupants of the building shot at her.

“Where is the Avatar?” she asked no one in particular, her voice booming with authority.

The workers all took one large step back to reveal a particularly gruesome hole in the floor. She peered down it and stiffened in surprise. Three shards in her gut and chest, far too much blood pooling around her, not to mention down her neck and chest. Kuvira hopped down into the pit and knelt down beside her. “You’re bleeding out. I don’t think I can move you.”

Korra winced in pain as she tried to pull out one of the glass shards. She let go and coughed out a bloody “I noticed.” She weakly gestured to herself. “Too deep.” Korra tried to look angry, but she just came off as exhausted. “Help me get the glass out. I can do the rest.”

Kuvira nodded and took a deep breath. She focused on the slow, melodic hum radiating from the glass embedded in Korra. The larger shards and the tiny pieces, they all felt close. Malleable. “I can get the glass out, but you need to heal yourself as I do. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” grunted Korra. “Get it out. Now.”

Twisting her hands in a manner that still felt unfamiliar, Kuvira reached out to the glass, all of it, and slowly threaded it out the same way it came in. Piece by piece, she removed the bloody shards, Korra’s healing glow following each one, and cast them aside in a dark corner of the basement.

Kuvira removed the last piece, a sliver the size of her fingernail that had barely missed Korra’s heart, and relaxed, releasing her grasp on the glass. She wiped sweat off of her brow and frowned at the few open wounds that had yet to heal. “You missed those.”

“Didn’t.” Korra shivered, her body sweating profusely, and gestured weakly to the ceiling. “Close.”

Kuvira sealed the opening above them, shrouding them in darkness. Not a moment later, Korra’s eyes ignited in white fire, followed by the sound of gurgling blood and rushing water. Korra’s entire body contorted in way that felt inhuman and she rolled to her side, the veins in her neck and arms pulsating. She ground her teeth and spasmed, her knuckles turning white. Then, just as the tension seemed to reach its peak, everything stopped. Korra gasped, her eyes faded to blue and her body relaxed, her chest rising and falling in time with her breath once more. And the blood was….all of the blood…

Gone. Korra’s blood was gone. With the exception of her torn clothing, one would have no idea she was wounded in the first place. It was two in the afternoon, and the sun was still high in the sky.

Korra pushed herself back on her haunches and stared up at the ceiling, her breathing still labored. Her eyes were slightly glazed. “Thanks,” she said between heavy breaths.

“You’re welcome.” Kuvira helped her to her feet. “I had no idea you could do that.”

“Neither did I, honestly. But it worked. I feel like I want to vomit now, though.” Korra poked a finger through the larger tear in her top. “And _I_ didn’t know you could bend glass.”

“A recent development.”

Korra grunted and tenderly rested a hand on her lower ribs. “Figured.”

Kuvira looked up at the ceiling. “We should leave.”

“Yeah. She can’t have gotten far.”

Kuvira reopened the earth above them. “And if she has?”

 

* * *

 

“Then I’ll just track her spirit.” Korra hopped out of the basement. “Even _she’s_ got one of those.” she called down. She slowly clambered down back into the street and rested her hands on her knees, feeling almost completely drained. Breathing was hard and she was already sweating through her clothes.

Kuvira followed shortly after, making a quick repair of the exterior damage as she reached the ground.

Korra slowly rose to her feet and looked down the street, taking in the horrific sight of the beachhead. The mangled frames of airships littered the area, still smoldering and filling the air with smog. Sirens blared as police cruisers zipped past them and down to the wreckage. 

Asami’s blue roadster skidded up beside them and Asami cocked her head, motioning for them to hop in. Korra vaulted into the front seat and Kuvira made her way into the back. The engine roared and they sped off down the street, following closely behind one the police cruisers.

Korra slumped back in her seat and gave Asami a lazy glance. “Arm’s okay?”

“Yes, but what about you? You just fell through a building!”

“And _you_ just fell _out_ of a building. So, uh...” Korra closed her eyes, suddenly feeling lightheaded and dizzy. Her stomach lurched. “Think I’m gonna vomit.” It jumped again and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Yup. Gonna vomit.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” Asami drifted the car to a screeching halt just before the beach.

Korra sprinted out the door the moment the wheels came to a stop, but didn’t make it far before stumbling to her knees and emptying her stomach over the burnt sand and ash around her. Filled gurnees, medics, and police officers sprinted by and around her, a few of them bumping into her in their haste. Fire trucks blared and worked to extinguish the smoldering remains. Korra grunted as her head began to pound. She dug her fingers into the ground.

“Here, come on,” said Asami, wrapping her arm around Korra’s waist. “Up.” She pulled her up to standing and used her crumpled shawl to wipe the sweat from her face. “Let’s get out of the way and find you a place to sit.” Asami grabbed her hand and lead her back to the car.

Korra begrudgingly sat on top of the trunk, and remembered to keep her boots on the bumper, _not the paint._ “I’ll be fine in a minute,” she said heavily. Talking was hard, too. “Need to help these people.”

“We’ve got it under control. No thanks to you.” said Lin, basically punching her in the back before circling around to her front. Aside from a few obvious scrapes on her armor, she looked fine. Even her scowl was intact. “As frustrating as the reality is, this is hardly the first time we’ve had airships falling from the sky.”

“And yet you’re unscathed,” said Kuvira.

“Not the first time I’ve _been_ in one of those airships, either.” Lin crossed her arms. “So. You three mind telling me what the hell happened and why all of this planning amounted to nothing?” she seethed.

Korra managed a nod. “Artana—-”

Asami grabbed Korra’s arm and squeezed it. “We need time to piece that together. A lot of new information has come to light, and Korra just fell through a building.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Give her some time, she’ll walk it off.” Lin pinched the bridge of her nose. “We’re going to have to cancel Raiko’s press conference. There’s no way we can just cover this up.”

Kuvira shook her head. “A bad move. This is the perfect opportunity to claim victory over the Red Lotus. If you cancel the conference, you indicate to them that you’re now living in fear. Deny them that pleasure and declare victory to the public before making it a reality.”

Lin frowned. “And if it doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll take care of it,” said Korra. “Like we always do.”

“Just try not to blow up the city this time, all right?” Lin walked back into the crowd.

Korra turned to Asami. “...what did you mean by new information?”

Asami’s eyes darkened. “The Red Lotus aren’t dead. Everything we’ve done so far is what they _wanted_ us to do. We’ve been playing right into their hands since the day we stopped those trucks.”

“And Artana told you this?” asked Kuvira. “How can you be sure she was telling the truth?”

“I wasn’t. But, just before she kicked me out of the window, she said something that convinced me.” She licked her lips and stared at Korra. “She said, and these are her exact words: ‘Don’t worry, _noodles._ It’s 1:30. She’ll catch you.’”

Korra’s breath caught in her throat and every hair on her body seemed to stand on edge. It was impossible for her to know about that. They’d never made it public knowledge. It was understood. Something to work towards. “If she knows about that, then...”

“She may as well know everything about all of us.”

“Yeah.”

“Did she say anything else? Anything that might point us in the right direction? If the Red Lotus are still in play, we’re still at war,” said Kuvira.

Asami sighed. “She...wouldn’t stop talking. I remember all of it. Much of it was uncomfortably specific. Whatever Artana has set in motion…” She swallowed. “...I have a very strong feeling that it’s far worse than anything we could comprehend. We can’t do this alone.”

“We don’t have to. We never do.” Korra set her jaw and hopped off of the trunk. “We’re gonna bring everyone together, lay it all out on the table, and put her and her plan down before it even has a chance to succeed.” She furrowed her brow and looked between Kuvira and Asami. “She slept fifty feet away from Ikki and Jinora. You don’t get to do that and just walk away.”

Asami nodded solemnly. “Where do we start?”

“From the very...the, uh...” Korra’s stomach growled and her headache grew stronger. Her knees wobbled and she stumbled backward into the car. Bloodbending herself back from the brink of death had taken more out of her than just morality. “...very beginning. After we pick up some take out.”

“How about a drive-in? There’s that new place on sixth.”

“Even better.”

Kuvira raised a brow. “That is not a wise use of our time.”

“Hey, I just got thrown out of a forty story window!” snapped Asami. “I think I’m entitled to a short break before we start drowning ourselves in even more paranoia than usual.”

 

* * *

 

Artana pulled off her tattered jacket and tossed it on to her small bed. The quarters that her submarine offered were humble, but more than enough to accommodate her for whatever length of voyage was necessary. The ship was cramped and she had to duck through the narrow hatches to go from one room to the next, but it had an industrial charm that most things lacked.

She slipped out of her top and, in time with her breath, undid the latches on her upper arms, disabling the booster suit. The effect was almost immediate. Tiny pin pricks retracted out of her body in sequence, leaving coiled and burning muscle as it went. The warm hum of energy that traveled through her spine, arms, legs and belly vanished and she was struck with a sudden dose of fatigue. Her eyes were heavy and she fell backwards on to her bunk.

Hard as a rock, but just as stable.

She checked her watch. It would be a some time before they would reach the staging area. Accelerating the timetable wasn’t quite—-well, that wasn’t true. Everything had been in place for months. She’d just needed to make the order. And she already had.

The air shimmered and warped out of the corner of her eye and Jinora materialized, floating, in the middle of her room. Still semi-translucent and glowing blue, just as she had been in Asami’s office. Such an odd ability.

Jinora glared at her, a vein beneath her forehead’s arrow bulging. There was something so fitting about an airbending master fueled by anger. “I don’t even know what to say to you.”

Artana slowly sat up and shrugged, ignoring the burn in her shoulders. “I can’t imagine you would. There isn’t exactly precedent for a situation like this.” She studied Jinora’s blue form from top to bottom. Meditative posture when she arrived, but transitioned to free moving, as if she were swimming. “How are you doing this?”

Jinora curled her lips into a snarl and her hands twitched, flexing in and out of a fist. “You broke Ikki’s heart. You hurt my sister. Not that you’d care, but she thought you were her friend.”

Artana frowned and her eyes sank into her head. It was regrettable. No, more than that. It was cruel to have done that to Ikki. She should have kept her distance to save her the inevitable harm. “I know.” She ran a hand through her matted, dirty hair and sighed deeply.

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say? ‘I know’?”

“What would you have me say?”

“You could apologize! That would be a good place to start!”

“Apologize…” Artana sighed and made her way over to her locker. She pulled out her finely pressed Earth Empire uniform and set it out on the bed. “For hurting her? Or betraying all of you?” she asked absently. She pulled off her top and began changing into her officer uniform. Jinora looked away once she seemed to realize what was happening. “I have a schedule to keep, you must understand. All of you, who are undoubtedly gathered around your friend.”

“They can’t see or hear you,” said Jinora. She rolled her eyes. “But I’ll tell them that you’re _too busy_ to have a simple conversation.”

“That would be the truth.” Artana put on the rest of her uniform over the booster suit. “Though, if I might ask a question, why haven’t you checked the bridge to discover where I am?”

“Because I don’t need instruments to figure that out.”

“Interesting…” Artana buttoned her cufflinks. “Of course, Korra could simply discover my position in mere moments, but if you’re here, I suspect this is some sort of ploy to keep me ‘distracted’.” She shrugged. “Nothing I say will help you. You have more important things to do.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

 

* * *

 

“...because they’re terrorists! Because they’re fear mongers! Because they slaughter thousands to further some sick, twisted agenda!” roared Asami, her voice filling her packed drawing room. She shoved Varrick out of the way and stomped toward Kuvira. “Maybe you don’t have a line you won’t cross to ‘do what’s necessary’, but I do. Even if there were more research to be done on the vines, _I wouldn’t work with them._ ”

They’d gathered quickly, but then, they were all conditioned to drop everything in case of something like this. It also helped that it was virtually understood what was to be done should the world fall in peril again, since three occurrences established a pattern. Converge on Asami’s and work from there.

Of course, everyone had a different definition of working. Jinora’s was to meditate on the couch. Mako, Baatar Jr., Varrick and Zhu Li’s was to organize every bit of information they had on the Red Lotus. Bolin’s was to stay positive. Opal’s was to keep a close ear to the radio. And apparently Kuvira’s was to be speak in pragmatically infuriating insane sentences.

“You are putting millions of lives at risk to preserve your own ideals.” Kuvira said stonily. “You’re either deliberately obtuse and selfish, or moronically childish. You had and still have an opportunity to crush these terrorists, and you let your ‘ideals’ outweigh what is necessary to the survival of nations?”

“That’s enough!” Korra stepped between them and pushed Kuvira away. She held out her palms, attempting to placate them both. “We have no idea what’s going on, and arguing will get us nowhere.” She glared at Kuvira and her voice dropped into a low growl. “And as for you, _back off.”_

“ _...and in other news the Wolfbats are on track to take home the championship again this year…”_ said Shiro Shinobi, his bombastic voice softened with the low volume of the radio.

Bolin cleared his throat.

“Submarine. Heading north. Not alone,” said Jinora. She was still projecting her spirit, but that didn’t stop her from relaying information. Somehow.

“Okay, that might be something.” Mako scribbled that down on a piece of paper and pinned it to the growing series of cork boards that spanned the length of her drawing room. Everything from intelligence reports to pictures to news articles were organized in a very tight, methodical system that Asami couldn’t quite parse herself. But he had assured everyone that it was the only way to solve the mystery. “I would have thought west, towards the Fire Nation, but hiding may not be her priority if she’s heading north. Unless they have some sort of underwater base.”

A vein throbbed on Varrick’s forehead and he tore several pages out of his script. “They had better not!”

Asami took a few steps back and furrowed her brow. There would be time to debate the rationality of her actions once all was said and done. “She’s not hiding. She said several times that whether or not she dies doesn’t matter. And that it hasn’t for quite some time.”

“If she isn’t hiding, then I doubt she’s running either.”

“A tactical retreat?” said Kuvira. “It’s possible, but that would suggest that this is more a military operation than an insurgency.”

“With what military?” said Korra. “Even if the Red Lotus aren’t done, there’s no way they have the numbers to pose that threat to anyone.” She grunted. “They can just toss spirit bombs everywhere! Blow up cities. They don’t even need a military to do that.”

“Right. That’s true.” Mako looked back at the board and frowned. “I think we should be asking ourselves why they haven’t tried to do that in every major city. They clearly have, or had, the capability to do that. Omashu and the Fire Nation capitol were warnings, but they didn’t follow through.”

Asami crossed her arms. “Artana said that everything we know about the Red Lotus is what she _wanted_ us to know. Excluding Zaheer’s ideology, though that is still inaccurate. If we assume that they’re simple anarchists who want to destroy us, we defend against exactly that.”

“Yes, we were all pawns,” said Kuvira. “We have established that. She effectively wrote the script, and we followed it to the letter.”

“But now we can go _off_ script,” said Bolin. “If we know it’s all a crazy scheme, then we can do stuff that isn’t part of that. Besides, Korra’s alive. So she failed—-”

“She didn’t think she could kill Korra. Assumed she’d survive,” said Jinora. Her eyes were still closed, and her posture still straight. It was a little unsettling.

“—-or maybe she didn’t fail, that’s also possible.”

 

* * *

 

Artana looked up from her book and right into the hateful eyes of Jinora. She’d just been floating there. Still. Unyielding. It was starting to become frustrating. “You’re not going to let me have a moment to myself are you?”

Jinora floated up to her so that they were nose to nose. “No chance. If you want to pass the time, you’re going to talk to me.”

Artana raised a brow and carefully closed her book. “Very well.” She set it off on the nightstand and cleared her throat. “Have I ever told you the one about my entire life story?”

“...what?”

“My life story. That’s what you’re after, isn’t it?”

“Unless we can skip ahead to the part where you started being a terrorist, no—-”

Artana clapped her hands. Perfect. Perhaps she might even enjoy telling that story. Remembering things she’d once forgotten. At the very least, it wouldn’t be boring. “It all started just over forty-two years ago, in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se...”

 

* * *

 

Asami took a hard look at Jinora. It was risk-free reconnaissance. Artana couldn’t possibly hurt her when she wasn’t there to begin with. “Keep her talking. She’s bound to let more slip.”

“Won’t be a problem.” Jinora frowned. “She is literally telling me her life story.”

“Sorry.”

Korra crossed her arms. “Look, point is…Artana lured me right into a trap. She knew exactly how to do it, too.” She tapped her ear. “Took out my hearing and angled the glass so I couldn’t see the sun’s reflection. If I had been flying just a little bit lower, I’d have been hit in the forehead, my heart and my lungs.”

Varrick perked up and inspected Korra far too closely. “Wait, what? I thought she was an earthbender.”

“Uh, she is?”

“Then how is she glassblowing?!”

“Glass _bending_ , Varrick,” said Baatar.

“Yeah, like that couple in the Fire Nation, I know the rumors. Zhu Li and I met ‘em years ago, nice people, the _best_ glass blowers you’ll ever meet—-”

“She can turn sand into glass! Glassbending! How do you not know this?”

“That’s _real_? You have any idea how much money I could’ve saved on mover cameras—-nevermind doesn’t matter, but also how am I supposed to know something if you people don’t tell me?!”

“That was rather inconsiderate not to inform us,” said Zhu Li.

“What she said!”

Asami pinched the bridge of her nose. “I hardly think it matters whether or not you were told, but the fact is that Artana can glassbend and—-” It was a farce. The window in her office. “...she can only _generate_ glass. Not manipulate it.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Mako.

“She didn’t just shatter the window in my office. She used my table to break it and then threw me out. There’s no reason for her to do that unless she’s unable to actually move glass once she’s made it.”

Kuvira nodded. “That would also explain why I was able to stop her on the Boiling Rock. In attempting to stop her from bending sand, and thus phase shifting it into more glass, the glass she’d made fell to the ground. Additionally...” Kuvira made an odd gesture with her hand and Baatar’s glasses flew into her palm. “I figured out what seems to have eluded her.”

Asami watched in shock as Baatar retrieved his glasses. “How? I don’t understand.”

“Once a discovery is made, and something proved possible, it’s simply a matter of finding the right perspective and approach. The same was true with metalbending.”

Korra nodded. “She’s even got the fine control down already.” She patted her chest. “I’m living proof.”

Asami raised her brows and looked at Korra. She hadn’t even considered how she’d managed to survive such a mortal wound like that, simply chalking it up to ‘Avatar powers’, but to think that Kuvira had effectively performed life saving surgery… “That’s why you’re all right.”

Korra stared at her boots. “Part of it, yeah. Look, Artana tried to kill me, but I guess somehow knew Kuvira could do something she couldn’t and gambled that...wait…” She screwed up her face. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“There’s no way she could have taken that into account. Surely you would have survived if Kuvira hadn’t been there.”

“Oh, sure. But it would have been _extremely_ painful.”

“So she...still tried to kill you, even though she knew she couldn’t…” The blood drained from Asami’s face and her mouth hung open. Her heart slammed into her chest. “She...she tried to kill you, but _knew she couldn’t._ ” They were going about this the wrong way. “She removed you from the equation just long enough to do what she wanted. Just like she said she would.”

“Right, she slowed me down.”

“No, not just that.” Asami took a deep breath. “It’s exactly what she said she’d do. She said she’d never lied to me as well. Hates lying. What if…” She chewed on her lip. “What if that was true? What if every threat she made and every word she’d spoken were actually true? Cold, hard facts.”

“Isn’t that a bit of a leap?” asked Opal. “She got one thing right, and she planned for it.”

Mako shook his head. “No, Asami’s right. The police and government take all threats to civilians as credible until proven otherwise. We should do the same.”

“I agree, but there’s something more that I find worrisome. If I’m understanding this correctly,” said Baatar Jr., “we’re dealing with an enemy who not only knows how we operate on an intimate level, but has seemingly planned everything around that as well.”

“Specificity to this degree doesn’t benefit a tactician with goals as large as hers, whatever they may be.” said Kuvira. “It leaves little room for adaptability and secondary measures. I agree with Baatar, it’s too clinical an approach.”

Asami tilted her head. Was it? It’s how she’d try to take somebody down, not that she ever would. Study her enemy and take them apart, piece by piece. Strike at every weakness simultaneously. Counter everything before they have a chance to retaliate and overwhelm them. Maybe it was just the engineer...in her… “She’s not a general. She’s an engineer,” blurted Asami.

“Yeah, we know. That’s how she swindled you people!” said Varrick.

“I’m talking about her perspective! She knows our limits, and how far we can probably push them. Maybe even break them. All except for Korra,” she said. “She’s the ‘unquantifiable variable’, but you can account for that. You _can_ slow her down, even if you can’t stop her.”

“How does that help us?” asked Kuvira.

“Because that’s how she thinks. And if that’s how she thinks, then the first thing she’ll try to do, no matter her plan, is to cripple the only people in the world she sees as a threat.”

Korra frowned. “Us.”

“A preemptive strike,” said Kuvira. “Then why not do so sooner, before she was discovered?”

“It’s just like Asami said. We’ve been treating the Red Lotus like anarchists, and keeping our guard up against those kinds of threats.” Korra slammed her palm on to the table. “But they want spirit weapons gone, true freedom and all of that other stuff. They’re smarter than we thought. Since they’re obviously not trying to destroy every city in the world, which is what we’ve been prepared for, then...” She trailed off and turned to Asami. “...how would you do it? How would you take us down?”

“Why are you asking me?!”

“Because you’re _the_ engineer.”

Asami grunted and rubbed her temples. “Fine, well, I guess I would just copy my dad and use your strengths against you. Your weapons, your military, your infrastructure.” She crossed her arms and her eyes glazed over. “What the Equalists did, but on a massive scale. Cut the power, communications, support systems, and have people on the inside manipulating others to my own ends without them even realizing it. But before all of that, I’d make sure you fought amongst yourselves to distract you from the real, far larger threat. Because that’s what he did. And it worked.”

“ _Almost_ ,” added Bolin. “It almost worked.”

Mako shook his head. “They took over the city. We weren’t their targets back then, Bo.”

Kuvira glanced between Asami, Baatar and the large cork boards. “Do you believe the Red Lotus is really so large as to accomplish something like that? On a global scale?”

“I don’t know,” said Asami. “She said that they were ‘formless and essentially autonomous’. And they’re big enough to take a loss like the Boiling Rock and not have it impact their plans, apparently.”

Kuvira exchanged a look with Baatar. “Were those her _exact_ words? She said formless and autonomous?”

“Yes. Why? I’m not even sure what that means.”

“She thinks it unlikely that we can face them directly,” Kuvira said, her expression tightening. “I posit that the Red Lotus operates in separate, isolated cells, with very few aware of what the other teams are doing. That way the leader, presumably Artana, can control critical information.”

Mako nodded. “And those teams might not be bigger than one person. The chain of command could be long enough that sleeper agents could be in place without them even realizing who they’re working for.”

Asami shook out her head, baffled. “Wait, hold on…” She paced halfway around the room. “All of this paranoia about the Red Lotus being potentially anyone? Our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers? That was all _justified_?”

“If we assume my theory is correct, then yes,” said Kuvira. “It appears so.”

“But why? Why draw attention to themselves like that?”

Korra sighed and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Because the best place to hide is in plain sight. Just like Artana. How many times did we ignore this idea? That someone _we_ knew could be a part of _them_?”

Asami bowed her head and closed her eyes. Almost constantly. She had denied the possibility nearly every day and at every opportunity. Trust was too important to simply shrug off. The threat of spirit weapons were immediate and tangible. The Red Lotus were not. Or, had lead them to believe that was the case. “Even after _Lee_ , none of us stopped to think if there could have been more.”

“We all share that failure, then,” said Kuvira. “But I think everyone here has established him or herself as opponents of the Red Lotus, so further interrogation and investigation would be a waste of time.”

“Yeah, that’d be just...weird,” said Bolin. “I mean, Korra, well, that goes without saying. Asami, Mako and I fought them, and Opal was there and saw that because she was kidnapped. So was Jinora. Kuvira, you saved Korra’s dad, and Baatar, uh...you’re…” He shrugged. “Probably not a terrorist?”

“I’m not a terrorist, Bolin.”

“Yeah, neither am I!” said Varrick, jabbing his thumb into his chest.

Mako shot him an unamused look. “Yes. You are.”

“... _what this means for your weekend after a short commercial break…”_

“Since when?”

Zhu Li whispered something into his ear and Varrick’s expression rapidly shifted from frustrated to hurt to confused to amused and finally to...something resembling humility. Or regret. Or indigestion.

“...I revoke my previous objection,” mumbled Varrick.

“Good,” said Kuvira. “While I don’t disagree with the possibility of unwitting agents, I still think the more likely threat lies in a larger, organized cell. A Red Lotus cell may be led to believe it is working towards a common goal, but in reality it only serves a greater purpose.” She gestured to the Fire Nation on one of the large maps. “Perhaps one extremist group is being influenced by the Red Lotus to overthrow the monarchy in the Fire Nation, but they believe that it is their own choice. Perhaps another wishes to depose the Chiefs of the Northern Water Tribe.”

Varrick scoffed and rolled his eyes. “...what a big loss _that_ would be.”

 

* * *

 

Officer Song blew his whistle and waved down the approaching group of well stocked mechanics. They didn’t seem to notice or care about the large yellow signs that _clearly_ read ‘No Entry Under Penalty Of Treason’. Getting relegated to guard duty for one of Republic City’s defense things wasn’t exactly his idea of an ideal position, but it was important work.

Important, boring work. At least there was a good dumpling place down the street.

“You guys can’t come in here! Back it up!” he shouted. The group looked amongst one another, very confused. “What? Can’t you read the signs?”

One of them stepped forward, a shorter man with balding brown hair. “Yeah, we can, but we’re the maintenance crew. We’re scheduled for a routine check.”

“That so? Well, you guys have got your dates mixed up, because we get these bi-weekly and a bunch of you passed through here a few days a go.”

The man raised a brow and flipped through his clipboard. “No, no, there’s no record of that on here. How about we take a look, anyway? Better safe than sorry.”

Officer Song shook his head. “Sorry, can’t do that. I’ve got strict orders from Chief Beifong not to let anyone outside of authorized personnel perform an inspection, or get close to this thing, under any circumstances—-” Bolas twisted around his midsection and pinned his arms to his sides. A metal hand covered his mouth before he could scream. Electricity surged into him painfully and he writhed in his bindings. He collapsed to the ground and was dragged into the alley.

Again. It was happening again. Glowing green goggles stared down at him with all too familiar disgust. The edges of his vision became darker and darker so that the one and only thing he saw before the end were those damned goggles.

Green and vengeful.

 

* * *

 

“But, in a way, it _would_ be their choice. These anti-establishment sentiments are far from new, though many are specific.” Asami stared at the map of the world. Little symbols denoting Unity Defense System points dotted the landscape everywhere except within Earth Empire territory, the only exception being Zaofu. “They could just be stoking the flames.” Asami furrowed her brow. “And on a massive enough scale, it wouldn’t matter if the entirety of the Red Lotus is aligned with their leader’s ideals. It’s entirely irrelevant if only those at the top are aware of their true intentions.”

“It’s like a perfect storm of everything probably going wrong at once,” groaned Korra.

“So, in other words, Artana can do whatever she wants,” said Opal. “And nobody would have any idea what that is until it’s too late.”

“Pretty much.”

“Great.”

“But, guys, this is all just one big ‘what if’, right?” said Bolin. He smiled weakly. “...right? We have no idea what Artana even _wants_.”

“ _...reporting live from just outside Jingdao. It looks like the commotion earlier today isn’t going to stop President Raiko’s press conference from going forward, which should be starting within the hour…”_ said Shiro.

“That’s not entirely accurate.” Asami chewed on her lip. “I’m not sure how this could factor in, but she said she wanted a world without borders. Where government was constructive, rather than restrictive. Honestly, I’m surprised that she’s okay with government at all.”

Korra shrugged. “Well, the original White Lotus didn’t so much as not believe in government, but more that they...just didn’t care about borders themselves. They didn’t see the nations or people as separate.”

“Because it’s an illusion,” she said reflexively. What?

“Uh, right. Yeah. So, it’s not that weird for the Red Lotus, who apparently are trying to be more like those who came before them, to think like that. Thing is, to get rid of those borders, you’d need a lot of diplomacy, since we already know they’re not going to just bomb everyone until there’s no one left to even _enforce_ those borders.”

“Oh, that’s kinda funny.” Bolin chuckled.

Korra wrinkled her nose and tilted her head. “How is that funny?”

“I just realized that spirit portals and national borders are total opposites. You can blow something up enough to make a portal, but doing that here will just get everybody angry. And you can’t _talk_ a new portal into existing.”

Korra snickered and covered her face with her hand. “Bolin, I...I think that’s more weird than funny.” She bit her lip. “Okay, it’s a _little_ funny.”

“Right?”

_War, famine, millions of civilian casualties. My own death. The complete annihilation of civilization itself, both ours and the spirits. Even if I have to tear the barrier that binds our worlds apart to convince you, I will._

Asami’s heart dropped into her stomach and her breath became heavy. No. She wouldn’t. No one was that insane. She looked at the map on the cork board and—-there were two. Why were there two? “Guys, why do we have two topographical maps of defense pillar installations?” The color drained from her face. “And why does one of them have _dozens_ scattered throughout Earth Empire territory?”

Opal gave her a strange look. “That one? I picked it up in the Boiling Rock control room. Aren’t those projections for when then things get less violent?”

“No. No, no, no, we _never ran those projections._ ”

Kuvira and Baatar exchanged a worried look.

Korra’s eyes widened. “Mind filling me in on what’s got you so spooked?”

“I think I just figured out what she’s trying to do.”

 

* * *

 

Artana walked back to the helm, the sound of her steel-toed boots echoing throughout the small hull. She double-checked the instruments in front of the helmsman. “We should be arriving at the rally point soon, yes?”

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll surface in the next few minutes.”

Artana nodded and made her way back to the access ladder. She looked up at the hatch and took a small breath. “I believe we’re going to have to save the rest of that story for another time, Jinora. We’re out of time.”

“You didn’t even get past nine years old!” she said.

“It is unfortunate.” She smirked up at the floating girl. “It gets very interesting after I turned sixteen.” The klaxon blared and the hallway lit up with red lighting. She felt the submarine rise from the depths, pitching at a slight angle, and kept herself grounded. “You should stay for this part, though. It’s exactly what you’ve been here for.”

Jinora’s hard visage cracked into one of concern. Her eyes wide and full of fear. Just as they should be. She ‘flew’ upward and phased through the ship just as it crested the surface. Oh, what a surprise she would be in for.

“You’re clear, ma’am!” called the helmsman.

Artana climbed the ladder and turned the well-oiled hatch. She pushed it open, the top hitting the hull with a loud clank, and looked away from the blinding sun as it shone through. She pulled herself up the rest of the way and blinked several times, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light.

The bullhorns of battleships and carriers, dozens of them, sounded off around her in every direction. Massive naval vessels, the Earth Empire flag at full mast above them, all of them top-of-the-line with the most advanced weaponry available, flanked her submarine. Their enormous wakes splashed up against her boots. The roar of Satohawks and airplanes filled the sky as they flew by in formation.

“How...how is this possible?” asked Jinora, her voice wavering. “How did you do this?”

Artana took a deep breath and savored the sea air. Fresh, except for the distinct trace of ash from the naval engines. “That’s the beauty of all this, Jinora. I didn’t. I merely showed them the right path.”

A long metal ramp came cascading down from the closest carrie,r and Artana rode it back up to the main deck. She stepped on to the ship and was greeted by a very familiar face. General Yao.

Yao gave her hand a firm shake, a tiny nervous smile creeping across his full beard and stretched features. “Good to have you aboard, Rear Admiral Artana.”

“Good to be back, General. I’m happy to see rapid deployment procedures have gone well.” She narrowed her eyes, but only slightly. “I trust the winterized equipment passed inspection? And that there haven’t been any more... _infractions_ since the first incident.”

“Everything is ahead of schedule, ma’am. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t,” he said anxiously. “I saw to it that those responsible for the incident at the Sato estate were punished accordingly.”

“Excellent.” Artana started towards the edge of the carrier’s runway and motioned for Yao to follow. “Any news on our infiltration teams?”

Yao nodded and walked beside her. “All but three are reporting in with confirmation of mission success.”

Artana approached the edge of the carrier and looked out over the bow. The fleet was even larger from her elevated position. Landing craft, destroyers, ice breakers, small attack ships and frigates filled the sea. And, of course, one of her two dreadnoughts. She could see their crews, dotted across hardened steel hulls, begin final preparations.

“Then, General, I believe we have a war to win.”

 

* * *

 

Asami took a deep breath and calmed her mind. Focus on the problem at hand. The rest will come later. “Destroying the barrier between our world and the spirit world,” she asked Korra, her eyes hardening. “Not a new portal, but removing the barrier completely. Is that possible?”

Korra looked at her like she’d just grown a second head. “I—-that’s not something I think anyone has ever thought of doing. But…” She ran a hand through her hair. “Sort of, but not in a way that wouldn’t kill everything. The amount of energy just to create _one_ portal is, well, you’ve seen that up close. To remove the barrier completely would need so much energy that it’d destroy the entire world. And probably the spirit world, too. So it’s not even worth considering.” Korra’s eyes widened. “Unless that’s what she’s trying to do.”

Kuvira shook her head. “Unlikely. They haven’t wiped us out with spirit bombs, so we can remove that as a possibility.”

“But her goal—-it has to be the destruction of that barrier. It was an explicit threat. Is there any other way to break that barrier?” said Asami. “Perhaps not all at once, but over time?”

“Look, if...and I’m just going with my gut here, or I guess _Raava’s_ gut, if you were somehow able to create several hundred spirit portals, and none of them stable, simultaneously, across the entire planet, then...yeah, maybe it could happen. It’d merge the worlds together, and it wouldn’t be pretty."

“What would happen?” asked Mako.

"It'd kinda be like the solstice, but instead of the spirit and material worlds being closer, they'd be smashed together.”  Korra chewed on her lip. “Let’s just say that, if anything were to survive, it wouldn’t be human. Or spirit. Whatever comes after would be...unknowable.”

Opal shook her head. “The infrastructure to accomplish that doesn’t exist. We’d know about it. You can’t hide something that big.” She snapped her fingers. “That’s probably what the generator on the Boiling Rock was for.”

Korra held out her palm. “No, Opal, that’s _barely_ enough to create two portals. And that’s a big maybe. You’d need to siphon energy out of the spirit world itself to make this happen. And you’d need to do it just the right way.”

“And what if we did?” said Kuvira. “The Unity Defense System _already_ uses co-opted micro-portals to counter spirit weapons. What needs to happen keep them open and make them larger?”

Asami pinched the bridge of her nose. Ugh. Why did she let Varrick write that bomb defusal manual? “You’re referring to that one tiny passage in—-”

Kuvira tossed several copies of _Rudimentary Spirit Bomb Defusal_ on to the table. “Page 217 and 302, appendix 178.”

“I hate that thing,” grumbled Mako.

Asami picked up the book and skimmed to the pages in question. “Yes, yes, I remember. It’s pure conjecture. Varrick came up with it after he didn’t sleep for five days in a row. It’s nonsense.”

“Hey, I do some of my best thinking when I’m sleep deprived!” protested Varrick.

“If this is right it means the end of the world,” snapped Asami.

“On second thought, why are even reading this? _This is completely insane!”_  
  
Kuvira kept her gaze focused on Asami. “For the sake of argument, let’s say that it isn’t. That this is an exploitable weakness.”

Asami shook her head. “It’s not. That’s not even how they work. No matter how you detonated a bomb, and no matter how large the explosive yield, it wouldn’t _change_ how it operates. You’d have to modify the pillar itself, but even then…” she trailed off and licked the inside of her lips. It was possible. Incredibly unlikely and the timing would have to be more than perfect.

But it was possible.

“How difficult would it be to sabotage the defense pillars so that they perform this function?” asked Kuvira.

“It wouldn’t be easy by any means,” Asami furrowed her brow and briefly looked away.“The amount of redundancies and security measures we installed in those things—-It’s fitted with a thermite charge. If you make one wrong move, no matter how small, the entire device will _melt itself_ and everything else within a ten foot radius.”

“Unless the person working is preternaturally brilliant, you would need the design documents to succeed,” added Zhu LI.

Baatar sighed. “I think we can all but guarantee that the Red Lotus, among others, have those designs. It would be easier to catalog what Artana _didn’t_ steal.”

Asami crooked her lips to the side. She didn’t take everything. Nothing from deep storage. She’d know. “Even then, rigging hundreds of them to activate simultaneously is next to impossible. Timers could break, batteries could fail.”

Bolin wiped sweat off his brow. “Good! Glad we don’t have to worry about—-”

“Then again, in theory, if you had a strong enough radio signal and enough repeater units scattered around the globe, you could detonate them remotely with effectively perfect timing.”

Bolin frowned. “You guys have got to stop pulling my heart in every direction. Are we in trouble, or not?”

Jinora leaped to her feet in a panic and sweat started to pour profusely down her face. “Guys! We’re in trouble! Really big trouble!”

“What is wrong with me?”

Korra practically leaped over the table to get to Jinora. She slid to a stop and wrapped her into a tight hug. It was easy to forget how overprotective she was of them sometimes. “Shhhh, you’re all right. Everything’s gonna fine.”

“Korra, I’m okay, just very scared and I’ve got something I need to say.”

Korra perked up and slowly let Jinora go. “Right, of course.” She blushed and stepped away. “Sorry. How are we in trouble?”

“Artana has control of the Earth Empire military! She surfaced in the center of an enormous naval fleet with ships large enough to launch airplanes, and they only had one wing—-”

Asami clenched her teeth. Her designs. _Her_ creations.

“—-and they’re heading straight for the Northern Water Tribe. There were Satohawks there, too! Dozens of them!”

Korra threw her arms up into the air. “But _why_? All of that metal equipment will just _freeze_!”

“Did they have ice breakers?” asked Kuvira.

“I think so,” said Jinora.

Mako rested his hands on the table. “Then we can assume they have winterized equipment—-”

“Since when did you have a _navy_?!” said Opal.

“We didn’t,” said Baatar. “I planned to build one after we took the United Republic, so as to better defend our borders, but…” He shrugged. “They must have skipped that part.”

“Clearly.”

Asami collapsed on to the couch. It was _exactly_ as she had said. What Artana had said. What she herself had said. They’d had the same ideas, all of which stemmed from her father’s twisted inspiration. “She said she would start a war and she’s using my own creations against us all.”

“We’ll stop her,” said Korra, reaching for the phone.

“That doesn’t make me feel less horrible. If I’m right about how she’s doing this, and I am nearly positive that I am, then this war, all of this bloodshed she’s about to cause, it’s a ruse. A distraction.”

“...yes, operator, please connect me to the Northern Water Tribe Palace. Because I’m the Avatar. Thank you.”

Kuvira tilted her head and leaned over the table. “A distraction from her plan to destroy the barrier.”

“Eska? Hey, it’s Korra, look, there’s no time to—-yes, I’m sorry we couldn’t come to visit _,_ but—-” Korra’s entire face twitched. “Listen to me! You are about to be invaded by the Earth Empire! With a navy! I don’t know how just—-well, excuse me for caring!” She hung up the phone.

“Hey, how about we stop jumping to that conclusion?” said Varrick “Maybe it’ll happen, maybe it won’t!”

“ _...if you’re just tuning in, President Raiko is about to start his conference. Let’s listen in!”_

Opal turned up the volume dial.

“ _Today, we were assaulted by the last, desperate remnant of the Red Lotus. Many of Republic City’s finest lost their lives in the battle, and their service will remembered for as long as this country stands. I’m sure the intent of these terrorists was to invoke fear in us all. To keep us paranoid about those who lurk in the shadows and plot the destruction of everything we hold dear. Well, I am here today, still, to tell you all that I, nor anyone in my city or country, will be held hostage by that fear anymore! The threat of spirit vine weapons, thanks to the tireless efforts of Future Industries and Varrick Industries International, are a thing of the past—-”_

Everyone covered their ears as a screeching sound came out of the radio.

“What was that?” asked Bolin.

“An encrypted signal?” said Baatar.

“ _—-United Forces have liberated nearly half of the former Earth Kingdom states. That is why I have decided to tear down this wall and open our borders once again in order to foster greater trust and community between us all. If we do not need to live in fear, then there is no reason that we should live separate from one another.”_

Korra turned to Jinora. “Did you just…”

“I felt it too,” whispered Jinora.

Korra took a few heavy breaths and looked around the room. “No windows. Okay, we need to get outside. Right now.”

Asami gave her a confused look. “What? Why—-”

“Outside! Now!”

 

* * *

 

Raiko smiled and waved as the large crowd’s cheering and applause washed over him. It was a refreshing change of pace. Camera bulbs flashed in rapid succession as he turned his head toward Lin. “Would you do the honors, Chief Beifong?”

Lin stomped her foot into the ground lowered the large section of wall behind him into the earth. It slid into place so perfectly Raiko wondered what had been keeping it in place at all. He turned around to greet the crowd of refugees when the ground began to shake. No, not just the ground. The air. Everything.

Raiko balanced himself on the podium and saw several dozen flashes of light burst out of the corner of his eyes. He spun back around and saw mangled strands of purple energy shoot into the sky with a distorted horn. They writhed and split apart, stretching in the middle and bending the horizon itself. The tears above grew larger and larger, revealing swathes of a new, unknowable sky.

Lin sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “...every time…”

 

* * *

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

General Iroh stared blankly up at the vacant palace of Ba Sing Se. The entirety of the now metal walled city had been all but abandoned of military presence, save for the few non-combat officers who were overseeing the lower ring’s many factories. The long staircase was spotless and the palace itself was reinforced with stylized steel engravings.

His battalion commanders were at a loss for words and simply stood beside him.

And then he looked up a little higher to watch the sky rip apart, lines of purple flying across like shooting stars, and a tornado erupt downward and on to the palace, bursting through the ornate and ancient roof. The earth opened up beneath him and his commanders, and General Iroh barely managed to catch one of them and...the other side before falling too far. He looked down and saw what appeared to be an endless field of purple and white flowers perfectly perpendicular to him.

Perhaps they hadn’t liberated Ba Sing Se after all.

 

* * *

 

Lord Zuko stared in awe as the dawn was split apart into hundreds of little pieces. One had blotted out the sun and darkness fell over the palace. Spirits fell and flew out of the cracks in reality, bringing with them an avalanche of stone and lava. A few portals collapsed under their own weight and covered a section of the capitol like a tarp.

“Lord Zuko!” said one of the guards, breaking him from his trance. “Insurgents are assaulting the palace! They’ve already breached the walls with explosives!”

“Of all the moments for them to choose…” he grumbled.

“It’s not just that, sir. I’ve been informed that half of the first fleet has been disabled.”

Zuko’s eyes widened, though he did not turn around. “What? How?!”

“Sabotage. Please, sir, we have to get you to safety.”

“Of course.” Zuko centered his breathing. “What was your name again, soldier?”

“Lee, Lord Zuko.”

“Really? There are a million Lees.” Zuko slowly turned around and give the guard a curious look. “So many, in fact, that I removed them all from my guard rotation.”

The guard paled. “...why?”

“To route out spies who attempt to infiltrate my palace.”

Druk swooped down from the sky and smacked the imposter dead center in the chest with his tail. The man went flying over the balcony and into the courtyard below. The dragon roared and stretched out his neck along the ground.

“Thank you, old friend.” Zuko mounted his dragon and gave him an affectionate rub on his side. “Now aren’t you glad we rehearsed that?”

Druk exhaled smoke and clicked his tongue.

 

* * *

 

Iroh had spilled his tea. He hadn’t spilled tea in over forty years. His table was shaking and so was the ground. Which was really quite odd, since the Spirit World didn’t exactly have earthquakes. The orange sky above him splintered into fragments, and the material world bled through. The clouds. The blue and midmorning sun.

Another portal opened near the edge of the forest and released a flood of seawater, dragging a large battleship along with it. It slammed into the grass, displacing dirt and mud just as it would the ocean. Soldiers in green uniforms began screaming at one another in a panic, and not a moment later, once that fear and extreme anger had been sensed, the grass consumed the ship whole, dragging it down to the depths of the abstract.

Water continued to burst out of the crack in the barrier and created a rather pleasing, if not roaring, riverbed around his cottage.

Wan Shi Tong landed beside him in a burst of wind and hopped over to the river. He inspected it carefully and puffed out his chest. He turned around and glared at Iroh. “Not a word from you.”

“You know, there is no shame in admitting ignorance—-”

“I said not a word!”

 

* * *

 

Artana frowned as she watched the sky bleed from blue to purple from the helm of her dreadnought. To red, to green, and everything else. Swirling around itself and distorting the spectrum entirely. She had done everything she could to avoid this singular moment, before it had become inevitable, but it still pained her to watch.

Even so, a small chance of survival was better than none at all.

“Admiral?” said her XO. “We’ve lost the _Senlin_. The sea swallowed her whole.”

“Continue on course, but inform the fleet to steer away from rapid changes in sea level.” She folded her hands behind her back. “And inform them of the truth. The Red Lotus are in the final stages of their master plan, so we must act quickly.”

And it was the truth. Asami would discover the singular method to thwarting her efforts, if she hadn’t already. Of course, Artana had planned for that.

She had planned for everything.

* * *

 

Asami fell to her knees and looked to the shattered sky. It was her fault. It was _all_ her fault. Every effort she’d made, every move she’d taken, everything she’d sacrificed to stop something far less horrifying had all lead to _this._   Exactly what the swamp had tried to warn her of.  Even worse, she’d predicted it. She may as well be fighting herself.

She waited for her heart to burst and her stomach to contort in pain. For the ache of guilt and self-hatred to flow through her and bring tears to her eyes. But they didn’t come. None of it did. And then she realized why it would never come. It was her fault. A cataclysm of her own creation. Which meant she knew _exactly_ how to fix it.

“Fine.” Asami rose to her feet. “If that’s how Artana wants this to go, then we’ll just have to beat her at her own game.” She looked between the terrified eyes of her family and Kuvira. And Baatar. And Varrick and Zhu Li. “We don’t have time to panic. We know her endgame. Now, we figure out how to stop it.”

“...even the _dialog_ …” Varrick tore his script in half and tossed the pages into the air.

“Even if we manage that, and I’m not saying that we won’t,” said Kuvira. “We lack the resources necessary to mount a counteroffensive.”

Asami took a very deep breath and looked over her shoulder, toward her father’s old workshop. Deep storage. “No. We have more than enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanna get something off my chest first: This reveal of how the Red Lotus works was never intended to be as topical as it is right now, with all the similarities to ISIL and what's happening in our world today. I went for Cold War Sleeper Cells (and inspired a bit by Mass Effect's Cerberus) and forgot that, since the Red Lotus are an "Army without a Nation", it was gonna end up like this. But nothing is created in a vacuum, and all things are products of their time. Now that that's out of the way...
> 
> iviscrit, thejmpr and beech27 have all told me that the thought process and deconstruction of what the Red Lotus had managed to do over the course of the story (and even before it) makes sense. I want to believe them, because this entire sequence is the single most complicated part of the story. After that, everything gets narrowed down to clear objectives and concepts. Well. Mostly. But if this doesn't work, or you're confused about any aspect at all, please do not hesitate to ask in the comments or send me a message on tumblr. I'll answer any and all questions to the best of my ability.
> 
> Yeah, so. Here we are. All but one of the cards is on the table and everyone's exactly where they're supposed to be. The End of Everything. Hey, remember when Kuvira said that waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in Chapter 9? Yeah, this was NOT what she was talking about. Way I saw it was this: Avatar finales either top the previous one, or make it a personal battle with a smaller scope. TLOK only had the 'save the world' ending for Book 2, and topping that was going to be...all but impossible. And since I'm not gonna do another Kaiju battle, I thought, why not have both types of finales? Why not up the stakes to their logical (or illogical) extreme and make how it happens incredibly personal for our heroes/protagonist? Thus, "Spirit Breach". 
> 
> General notes:  
> -Kuvira's glassbending revelation was seeded back in Ch21/22. Originally, it was going to be much more explicit during the Bopal Wedding, but due to scheduling conflicts with iviscrit I had to think on my feet. That's why every glass object was acting wonky in that chapter.  
> -Drive-ins were invented in 1921, down in Texas. Carhops followed shortly after, so no, this was not anachronistic :P  
> -Shiro Shinobi's "What this means for your weekend..." is a nod towards lokgifsandmusings' "Arrested Avatar" parody series, as well as "Arrested Development" itself. Needed something for him to say to remind you that the radio was still on, and it just fit. As for why he's the radio announcer...because reason.  
> -Varrick's completely incoherent 'Catgator' monologue that he has no recollection of writing was actually an adaptation of something RuminantMonk said while mocking a certain piece of feedback that I couldn't help but show her. It was too hilarious not to use. For the sake of privacy, I will not be sharing the original feedback.  
> -Additionally, Varrick's mover script being so similar to the actual events of the plot is a play on his Nuktuk movers, which...actually predicted Unalaq's plot in a very B-Movie way. I wanted to do it again, but in full "Ember Island Players" style, but realized it wasn't worth a massive chapter just for that one joke. And that it'd be much funnier if he's just bitching about it in the background the entire time. Especially since he went so off the rails that his mover is barely about Book 1 anymore.  
> -Varrick's frustration about glassbending actually being real is a reference to, you guessed it, "Icarus and the Sea", where they do in fact meet master glassblowers in the Fire Nation in a house made of glass. That couple goes on to make the first mover camera lens.  
> -To clarify, some of those tears in reality aren't directly tied to a sabotaged UDS pillar. Some are just a result of the fucked up imbalance of spiritual energy. Cracks in the Sky, or rather the barrier, if you will. The one in the floor that nearly swallows General Iroh, for example. We'll get into the specifics (briefly) in Part III, but on the whole the rest of the finale will move much faster than the first half.  
> -iviscrit figured out the 'Spirit Breach' idea as a totally unrelated joke months and months ago. 
> 
> I'll leave you folks with this: Do you think Asami did the right thing by refusing to work with Artana/the Red Lotus, even if it meant delaying/avoiding this disaster? I'm genuinely curious as to what your opinions are. And don't forget to share your theories on how our heroes are going try and beat this! :D


	26. Spirit Breach, Part III: The End of Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tears in reality grow larger, and it all begins to fall apart. Just, not in the way anyone had anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd/military consulting by thejmpr, technical editing by beech27, and Kuvira/Baatar consulting by iviscrit.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_One Year, Two Weeks and One Day after Kuvira's Invasion_

_Mid Autumn, 175 A.G._

 

"What you're about to see stays between all of us," said Asami. She punched her fifteen digit code into the keypad and scowled at the little diodes as they went from red to green. Working _with_ the Red Lotus may have been out of the question, but if they were going to have the gall to steal what she'd made, and use it against her...

She'd just have to show them what she was _really_ capable of.

Asami marched straight into the darkness of her deep storage vault, unwilling to wait for the generators to warm up and light the way. The massive platinum door behind her continued to split apart, revealing more of the darkened orange funicular shaft. She heard Korra's boots behind her before anyone else.

The lights turned on one after the other with a loud thunk, deeper and deeper into the vault. Nothing had been moved. Row after row of parts, notes, workbenches, skeletal vehicle frames, and tools were exactly where she'd left them. The shipping containers had not vanished. The monoplane airframes, the tanks, the experimental rockets, the remains of the Colossus---

"When you told me you were impressed by my work," said Baatar, slowing down as he passed the mecha-giant, "I didn't expect that to mean you salvaged it."

Asami continued walking toward the highly-modified Satohawk in the center of the room. She'd _just_ gotten the tilt-rotors to work correctly. Mostly. "I couldn't risk the pieces falling into the wrong hands. It's too dangerous to transport over such a long distance. That's the end of it."

"Good," said Jinora.

"How did you even get this down here…?" asked Bolin, carefully stepping around a crate labeled 'high explosives'. "That elevator was big, but not _that_ big."

Varrick smacked Bolin on his shoulder and turned his head to look out over the dock and cove. "Remember how I used to have that big battleship, kid?"

Mako pulled his brother away from Varrick and gave the man a hard look. "Let me guess. You packed it into crates, switched the ones headed for Zaofu at the last moment, and told everyone this was your secret base."

Varrick raised his brows, looked at Zhu Li, then back at Mako, and held out his hands in presentation. "You caught me."

Asami smelled the sea air as it began to blow in through the hidden cove. She'd been doing the math in her head. Or, what she was reasonably sure was the correct math. They had time, but not much. And she hadn't quite narrowed down the specifics. Too many variables. They knew what was happening, to an extent, but not _how._ Not exactly. Not yet. She moved to clear off one of her work tables when Korra gave her confused, and hurt, look.

"You trusted Varrick with this, but waited to tell me?" asked Korra. Though, thankfully it was not an accusation. "Why?"

Asami brushed loose strands of hair back into her tie. "It wasn't like that. Everything was covered in canvas, so this is the first he's seen of any of this. He had the means, and yes, we can all trust him about things like this. The same goes for Zhu Li. They understand what's at stake." She balled her hand into a fist. "... _was_ at stake."

"We don't have time for this," said Kuvira. "The world is ending. Shouldn't that be our prerogative?"

"Right. Yes." Asami wheeled a chalkboard out of one of her work areas and set it in front of them. "If someone could unroll the map we got from the Boiling Rock, and turn on the radio." She erased the submersible locomotive calculations off of it and drew two interlocking circles. "I think I have an idea. Just...work with me here. Assuming-Korra are you able to close these new portals?"

"Absolutely."

"Wait." Opal sat down on a crate near the table. "Why can't we just turn them off the same way they went on? If the pillars were activated by radio, then we can deactivate them, right?"

" _...giant glowing holes are appearing all over the world!"_ said Shiro. " _We've already got reports of similar events from the Fire Nation, Zaofu and the Water Tribes, and so far the death toll is thankfully low…"_

Baatar frowned. "Unfortunately, no. The UDS was only the catalyst for opening the portals. They're self-sustaining as opposed to self-collapsing. Even then, the energy imbalance probably activated the thermite charge, so there aren't any pillars left in the first place."

"It's a good idea, Opal," said Asami. "And it would have worked if we'd caught this sooner…"

"That really doesn't mean much," said Opal.

"I suppose it doesn't." Asami glanced at the fully unrolled map. "I think we can all agree that those extra markers the Red Lotus added are also portal locations. And if the worlds truly _are_ merging together, which they almost certainly are since spirit weapons don't work in the spirit world, then we can safely assume it's the result of a massive imbalance of energy."

Korra crossed her arms. "I think you're right. It feels a lot like Harmonic Convergence, but not as...overwhelming. Like a slow pull toward the center, right before it becomes a riptide."

"The center of everything," added Jinora.

Asami pointed at her with the chalk. "Yes, exactly." She quickly sketched a gnarled tree where the two white circles intersected, and then an inverted one below it. "The very thing that binds the the two worlds is what's crushing them together. The Tree of Time. And, to a lesser extent, the Banyan Grove Tree."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Kuvira. "It took us hours to discover what Artana's plan even was."

Asami turned to glare at Kuvira. "And I'm using that very knowledge to explain what's happening, and how I believe we can stop it. The science hasn't changed. The math hasn't changed. _Physics,_ for now, has not changed. The UDS was built on the foundation of spirit energy transference between planes. Making the vines a two way street. All of that logic still applies here."

"It does," said Baatar. "It's like a---"

"---vacuum." interjected Asami. She figured it out. She got to explain it. "The more spiritual energy that's spewed into our world, the more we get pulled down into the other. There's empty space, so to speak, so the material world is sucked in to fill that void." She drew two smaller circles below the diagram, interlocking so that they were all but on top of the other. "But both worlds can't exist in the same place at the same time, so that's where the rifts and tears come into play. Cracks in the sky. Rifts in the barrier. The more that show up, and the bigger they get, the worse things become. The less time we have."

"How much time _do_ we have?" asked Mako.

Asami furrowed her brow and started to scribble down equation after equation on the board. If she accounted for the exponential degradation rate over time, and the mass of the planet, then she _should_ be able to discern a timeframe with a reasonable margin of error. Of course, all of the variables were strictly Spirit World data, and getting an actual measurement was-

"Forty hours!" said Varrick. He whooped. "That's _plenty_ of time to do...whatever it is that you think we can do, Asami." He leaned forward. "Right? Because if we're doomed I think I have a right to know about it!"

" _...mass evacuation orders have been issued for all major cities in the United Republic, though it looks like the emergency broadcast system hasn't kicked in yet…"_

Asami erased her calculations. He'd been correct. Roughly. "It should be, yes. In theory." She put down the chalk. "Korra, can you close _all_ of the new portals? Simultaneously?"

Korra seemed to consider that for a moment. "Yes. It'd take a while, I'd have to be in the Tree of Time, and I wouldn't be able to do anything else while I'm doing that, but yeah. I can do it. Closing one took around a minute. Closing hundreds would take hours."

"That's what I thought," said Asami. She took a deep breath. "The only _guaranteed_ way to stop this is to close the portals at the same time before the damage is too great, and the only way we can do that is with Korra. In the Tree of Time. And Artana knows that."

"How come we have to close them at the same time?" asked Bolin.

"Because you can't fix a leak by plugging just one of the holes," said Zhu Li. "And we'd die before we could finish them one at a time."

Bolin tilted his head from side to side and then nodded. "That makes sense."

"And that's what makes this plan so dangerous. It _makes sense._ Artana has to know that this would be the first thing we thought of," said Asami. She ran her fingers through her hair and grimaced. "That we'd figure this out. That _I'd_ think of this." Her eyes widened and a very deep chill rolled down her spine. How was she supposed to fight herself? It was one thing to do so internally, but in such a frighteningly near-literal way...she couldn't out think herself. She couldn't even do it in her own head. "How are we supposed to beat her if she can anticipate everything I could ever think of?"

"Just gonna throw this out there-we could _not_ think like you?" said Varrick.

Baatar growled in frustration. "We are trying to think of _better_ alternatives, Varrick."

"There's gotta be another way," said Mako. taking a curious glance around the vault. "I'm willing to bet she doesn't have a team with her like this, so that's a big difference between you and her, Asami."

"Guys," said Korra. She pointed to herself. "If this is all a giant plan to force Asami into doing what she wants, then she's destined to fail. She _knows_ she can't beat me. Said so herself."

Asami sighed. "Yes, but she _can_ take you out of play. She already did it once." Out of play. Unable to participate. Immobile. That was it. _That's_ what was key. "And she's doing it again." She made an 'x' in the center of the three of time. "The only way to stop this is for Korra to close the portals. She can only do that in _one_ spot. And while she's doing that…"

Korra paled. "I can't fight. I'm completely helpless. She doesn't _need_ to beat me if she doesn't need to fight me in the first place!" She took a deep breath. "But that's okay. That's fine. You guys managed during Harmonic Convergence, so you can do it again, right?"

"Uh…" Bolin crooked his lips to the side. "...no, that fight _really_ did not go well. We didn't actually slow the dark spirits down that much. Every time we hit one of them two or three more would pop up."

Mako shook his head. "It's not just that, though. Most of the fighting was in the bay, nowhere near us. If we're on the right track, this time it's going to be right on top of you."

"She intends to mobilize an army," said Kuvira. "If we're all eliminated, no one is left to protect Korra."

"Why do you say that?" asked Asami.

"There are only two paths to the Tree of Time that can be easily navigated, and she's marching straight toward the closest."

Bolin's hunched over and frowned. "Which means we can't just _fly_ straight through the portal, doesn't it?"

"Assuming the Earth Empire achieves air superiority, no," said Kuvira

"We'd be blown out of the sky in seconds," said Asami. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "And if we fly _around_ the fleet, we'd get torn apart by snowstorms. The Satohawk wasn't built to withstand extreme cold like that under such intense conditions."

" _...in a brief statement just moments ago, President Raiko has asked all residents of the United Republic, to not, I repeat, do not do anything hostile towards the displaced spirits that may be popping up in your neighborhood, as it could cause a very hairy inter-world incident!"_

"Not enough time to use the southern portal, either." Korra crossed her arms. "And we can't even use the Republic City one. It'd take forever to get to the tree from there." She huffed. "I'd just 'move' us there, but my gut's telling me that with everything that's going on we'd just go flying or slam into a wall."

"Move?" asked Kuvira.

"Yeah, I can sort of…" She pushed her palms in front of her. "...put us places in the Spirit World. Avatar thing. Well, it _was,_ before today."

Asami perked up. Distance and perception of time were effectively static under typical conditions. But if the worlds _weren't_ at a one-to-one ratio, then maybe they could use that to their advantage. Asami stepped over to the map and pointed to two random portals on opposite sides of the world. "How close are these together in the Spirit World?"

Korra raised a brow. "...around 50 miles?" She stared down at her stomach. "Well, I'm sorry, but converting from whatever weird math that _you're_ using isn't that easy!" She groaned. "Yes, I _know_ it changes a little, so that's why I said 'around'. Can we not argue? Please?"

"Okay." Asami tapped another two portals, but this time they were relatively close to one another. "These?"

Korra closed her eyes for a moment and mouthed numbers. "Somewhere close to 700 miles."

"So there's no pattern to this? It just... _is_ , correct?"

"More or less."

Asami nodded. "Then that's it. We just have to find out which of these portals is closest to the Tree of Time and use it to fly there."

"But then we still have to protect Korra for...who knows how long," said Mako. "Even if we don't count travel time, whatever it turns out to be, that's cutting it pretty close."

Korra's eyes flicked from one dot to the next, scanning the entirety of the map. "What if…" She looked down at her stomach, then at Jinora. "If the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and the Spirit World goes around that, then we could plot a path that passes through both worlds, portal to portal, moving through all of them besides the main three and _end_ at the tree!"

Asami, and everyone else, looked at Korra, very confused.

She waved her arms. "Because I can _grab_ the portal energy while we move through it and close them while we fly, but finish the job _at the tree_!"

Everyone made variations of "Ohhhhhhhh."

"If we do this, how long would you need our protection?" asked Kuvira.

"Ten minutes? Half hour, maybe."

"I like those odds!" said Varrick. He clapped his hands together. "All right! I'm gonna go grab my ship, so we can actually _fly_ that fancy thing out of this cave."

"Good," said Asami. "Zhu Li, Baatar, Korra, I have a few contingencies I need to work on, so could you take care of the course plotting?"

Korra nodded for them. "Yup. And Jinora…" She turned to face her. "Go home and tell your dad we're okay, but we've gotta go save the world. Worlds."

" _...mass evacuation orders are rumored to being enacted, not only here in Republic City, but all across the Fire Nation as well. In this man's opinion, I don't have any idea where we could run to, or what's even going on, but I'll tell yah it smells a lot like Harmonic Convergence! But if you're still hearing my voice then the emergency broadcast system hasn't kicked in yet…"_

Jinora gave her a strange look. "I can just project my spirit and tell him like that. Why do I have to go home?"

Asami's eyes widened. Swamp. Swamp, that _stupid evil swamp._ "There's not enough room in the Satohawk. And we need you to protect your family."

"I'm pretty sure they can protect themselves-"

"No!" said Korra. "I mean, yes, but please just…" She smiled sadly. "Please go home."

"Airbending has proven effective against Earth Empire forces," Kuvira pointed out. "Even Artana had a difficult time contending with them."

"Which is why we have Opal!" said Korra.

Opal smiled. "Yeah, exac---" She pulled her head back. "Wait, what? I'm not _nearly_ as good as---"

Asami grabbed her measuring tape and notepad. "Oh, don't sell yourself short." She gripped Opal by the forearm and pulled her away from the group. "Korra won't put the Air Nation in danger again," she whispered. "Please make sure Jinora gets home, and tell Tenzin the basics of what's happening. He'll understand." She raised Opal's arms and measured her waist, arms, wingspan, and everything else. Hm. Same as last time. "And it looks like you won't need any adjustments. That'll save some time."

Opal just stared at her for a long moment. "...you two are acting _really_ weird, but okay, I'll take Jinora." She rolled out her shoulders. "What do you even need my measurements for again?"

Asami rolled up her tape. "Something I will almost certainly regret."

 

* * *

 

Eska tapped her fingers on the arm of her throne. Waiting for an invasion was almost as boring as the battle itself would obviously be. The throne room was spotless. Perfectly blue and adorned with ornate murals carved into the ice. Some depicted ancient battles. Others, weird rituals she'd never figured out the meaning of.

"Did cousin Korra say _when_ the Earth Empire would arrive?" asked Desna.

"She did not."

"It could be a practical joke."

Eska laughed once. Then, a second time. "Guard!" she beckoned toward one of the soldiers stationed at the palace doorway. "Open the doors! I wish to see the sky!"

The guards pulled the large door open and a gentle breeze and snowfall began sneaking its way into the chamber. Natural light illuminated the palace, along with the bright orange and purples that bled from the tears and portals that cut through sky, causing the icy walls to glisten. And then the white flurries began getting darker and darker. White to grey, and finally to black.

Desna tilted his head. "Didn't father mention something about this when we were young?" He looked to one of the murals, the one that showed the Fire Nation's failed invasion nearly a century ago. "Oh."

Eska and Desna glided out of their seats and skated along the floor with boots of ice, skidding to a stop just atop the palace steps. Clouds of ash fell from the sky and pooled on the ground, darkening every surface it touched and staining their robes.

And off in the distance, just before the horizon, was the faint outline of a naval fleet.

Eska looked up as she heard an unfamiliar, mechanical roar and spotted a group of odd looking airplanes, only one wing, swoop overhead, bombs detonating behind them a moment later in a firestorm that nearly melted the city's protective ice wall entirely.

Eska pouted. "That was very misleading."

"Agreed," said Desna.

 

* * *

 

The Water Tribes had never ceased to impress Artana. She watched from her the bridge of her dreadnaught, the _Kyoshi,_ as an enormous cloak mist of rolled towards the fleet and enveloped it. An effective method of blinding one's opponent, typically. But, that was not unexpected.

Through the hull, she felt the smallest of vibrations as magnetic sea-mines detonated beneath the surface. With each explosion, the mist became thinner, until it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. The fleet was still intact, save for a few front destroyers that were sinking.

A good effort, but ultimately a delaying tactic-

Artana's eyes widened as she watched a ten story wall of ice erupt out of the ocean, dragging half a battleship with it, directly in front of her frontline. She watched it grow from there, spreading around the entirety of the fleet in a complete circle. They were boxed in. An entire fleet of warships. _Boxed in._ In the middle of the ocean.

That was new.

"Order the carriers to launch their reserves!" she commanded her tactical officer. "They can box us in, but they can't shoot us down."

"Ma'am, I think the ice is getting closer!" said the dreadnaught's lookout. "Full reverse!"

"Belay that!" ordered the captain. "We won't be able to stop in time. Neither will a significant portion of the fleet. We need to break through it. Otherwise, we're dead in the water."

Artana took a small breath and glared out at the ice wall. Slowly, very slowly, it was creeping towards them. Cruisers and destroyers couldn't slow down in time and were wedged into the frozen barrier, which only spread further on to their hulls, encasing them in ice. Her ships may be icebreakers, but they couldn't survive smashing into a solid iceberg. One after another, her planes soared overhead and over the wall. Even with this new threat, they'd achieve air superiority.

Not that it mattered.

"Do we have a clear line of fire?" Artana grabbed the railing in front of her and leaned forward, glaring along the barrel of the ship's main weapon.

"Yes, ma'am. All ships are out of our danger zone," said the gunnery chief.

"Prepare for a simultaneous strike on the ice wall with the _Zaofu._ Forty five second countdown. That should weaken it enough for our cruisers to bring it down." Artana tracked a squadron of fighters swooping over the wall, narrowly dodging dozens of massive icicles and banking back into the fray, dropping their payload on an unseen target beyond the ice. "We will _not_ be caged."

"Yes, ma'am." The gunnery chief turned toward their communications officer. "Give the order."

The communications officer did as she was ordered and quickly gave the rest of the bridge a thumbs up. "We're a go!"

Artana licked the inside of her lips and squeezed the metal railing harder. Waiting was agonizing and she, for the briefest of moments, thought she felt sweat on her brow. But that was asinine. The navy may have been inexperienced, but their superior weaponry and unstoppable fleet of monoplanes guaranteed victory.

Even then, it wouldn't be as simple a battle as she'd originally thought. Which was exactly why she'd brought a way to cheat. Two fully operational spirit cannons.

Artana smirked at the first spark of purple at the tip of the barrel. It grew brighter and brighter, warping the air around it, and fired, unloading over ten mega Varricks (the name had stuck) of power into the wall, in tandem with its twin, just as loud as they were blinding. They burned through the ice like dry paper and caused a cascade of cracks along the front of the frozen barrier, shattering piece after piece into fragments the size of boulders, evaporating before they even touched the ocean. Shell after shell fired from the cruisers smashed into already weakened parts of the wall, splintering it further.

And through the growing breaches in the ice, she saw quite a few enemy ships shorn and mangled from the cannon, and a dozen others barely afloat, bearing wounds that would cripple a normal crew, as damage control struggled to keep up with the constant bombing runs. Soon enough, the rest of the wall collapsed, revealing the entirety of the Northern Water Tribe fleet, bearing down directly in front of them.

Veterans versus firepower.

"Alternate fire with the _Zaofu_. Target paths that pass through multiple vessels," she ordered. "Cut through their lines so we can carve through their earth."

"Yes ma'am," said the gunnery chief.

Artana folded her hands behind her back, squinting every time the cannon fired, illuminating the bridge with purple light. Only Thirty-eight more hours, roughly. Then, she'd see what humanity was truly made of.

Or, far more likely, _not_ made of.

 

* * *

 

Tenzin waved goodbye to Opal as she and Juicy took off back into the sky, which, again, changed color. Purple to green. The sky bison whined and flew back towards the city, ducking below a few stray spirits. She had explained the situation, as adequately as one could, but that didn't make it any less unnerving to be reminded of Harmonic Convergence.

Though, this time, Jinora was standing beside him, rather than lost.

"I know why Korra wouldn't let me go with them," said Jinora. She shivered and rubbed her arms. Odd. It wasn't cold at all. "I just wish she wouldn't try to cover it up."

"Perhaps, in time, she'll be more upfront with you as she has been with me. Though even that has been difficult for her." He looked away from the contorting portals that cut through the skyline and sighed. "Peace of mind is a very delicate thing. The most important and helpful thing we can do for Korra right now is to have complete faith in her." He put his hand on her shoulder. "That, and keep ourselves safe. If we're in danger, she can't focus on what she needs to do."

"I know that. I just wish she'd have a little more faith in _us_ sometimes."

"She does, Jinora. But that doesn't mean she won't worry." He gave her a sad smile. "When it comes to us, your brothers and sister, the rest of the Air Nation, she...lacks faith in herself. What we remember as what she did to save us, she only sees what she did to put us in harm's way."

"But---this is _our_ choice! We fought Kuvira, too!"

"And she was there to protect us, if we needed it. From what Opal said, it sounds like, this time, that won't quite be the case."

Jinora crossed her arms and pouted. "I want to help."

"Well, you could always help Ikki tear Artana's room apart. She's been doing that for the last hour or so."

"Okay." Jinora chuckled into a small smile. "How are you so calm about all this?"

"I don't have a choice. Besides, I'll have plenty of time to be livid once this is all said and done."

 

* * *

 

Asami tried to make heads or tails of the heavily marked map. Pen and pencil lines were scribbled across nearly every inch of it, paired with rough estimates pertaining to distance and time. Which was all well and good, except for the part where she had absolutely no idea where to even _start._

Baatar, apparently able to read her mind, pointed to the center of the map, in the middle of the ocean. "The only decent starting point is approximately five miles west off the Earth Empire coast, on Kyoshi Island. Every other insertion point either has us running out of fuel, not making it in time, or doubling up on the passes."

"Will you have legible directions by the time we get there?

Zhu Li nodded. "We should have them by the time everything is loaded onto the _Zhu Li II_."

" _...evacuation orders have been redacted, and I've been informed by the office of the President that everyone is to remain in their homes and wait this disaster out. According to a confirmed source close to Raiko himself, the Avatar should have it resolved in the next day or so, which means it's back to business as usual…"_

The battleship's massive horn blared throughout the cavern, and Asami swore she could almost _hear_ Varrick whooping all the way in the bridge. Somehow, he'd managed to scramble together a skeleton crew that was currently loading the rather...excessive armaments she'd yet to install in her Satohawk. As well as a few dozen other things they were going to need.

Asami grimaced. "What happened to the first one?"

"You abandoned it at sea," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh."

"As for the Spirit World side…" Korra flipped the map over. It was a complete mess of purple, orange and green. Intersecting and twisting, twirling horizons that fell off into nothing and-actually, no, it was just gibberish. "Not a great time to start mapping it, so I'll just have to shout directions while you fly."

"How will that work? There's no 'north' in the Spirit World." Asami tilted her head. "...is there?"

"No, but there's a right and a left." She shrugged. "It's the best we're gonna get right now."

"I know."

The battleship's horn blared again, and Asami watched as two mecha-tanks rolled away from the flight deck, leaving the Satohawk behind them. Everything was aboard. Except for them. Asami checked her pocket watch and her palms started to sweat. There was time. Not much, but there was all the same.

Thirty-five hours.

She just hoped it would be enough.

 

* * *

 

Lin covered her radio with her hand and leaned over to Saikhan. "Have someone check in on the temple where they're keeping Zaheer." She stomped her foot into the ground and smacked a captured terrorist, who had been trying to wiggle out of his bindings, in the face with a pillar of earth. "And somebody haul these morons back to headquarters! If we're gonna keep the peace, _let's keep the damn peace!"_

"You heard the Chief!" said Saikhan, addressing the controlled chaos of emergency responders, police officers and volunteers milling about the crumbled Jingdao border. "These riots are preventable, so let's show these traitors and liars all that Republic City's learned!"

"...like I was saying," continued Lin into the radio. "I don't have time for this, Mako. We just stopped a firebombing and I've got a feeling we're going to have revolts all over the city soon enough." She looked up at the sky. "Guess it's a good thing we've had practice…" she grumbled. "And finally got good at it, apparently."

" _Lin, with all due respect---"_

"If that's how you want to play this, address me correctly."

" _You're right, sorry. Chief. It's not a matter of time or resources. If we don't-"_

"Stop it." Lin pinched the bridge of her nose. "I get it, if you don't do what you're doing, if you don't win, nothing matters, right? Well, hate to break it to you kid, but that's a load of crap." She put her hand on her hip. "The city is on the verge of mass panic, there's glowing holes all over the place, spirits flying around, and the color of the sky changes every four seconds. Do you really think that I'm just going to hand over some of my officers, let alone go myself, on some insane suicide mission when I have a damn city to protect? It might be hard to remember this, but that's my job, _and yours._ It's our responsibility to deal with the problems in front of me. Republic City comes first, understand?"

" _I do, but I'm not sitting this one out, either."_

"I'm not asking you to, Mako. Korra and the rest of them would probably be dead without you around. _I_ can't help by coming with, but I can send you along."

" _Thanks, Chief."_

"Knock 'em dead, kid." Lin made a face. "I meant that. Kill her. Burn her to death, blow up her heart with lightning; just make it hurt like nothing else. Don't care who does it. And _that's_ an order."

" _I'll, uh, try and make that happen…_ _"_

 

* * *

 

Asami flexed her hands as the _Zhu Li II_ shoved off from the dock, once again blaring its horn. Only so many hours, and only so many resources. And, of course, only one way to use them. And it pained her even more to have been forced to unleash even _more_ of what she'd made. What she'd hidden away.

What she was now _presenting_ to the rest of the team. And...Juicy. How did she _always_ have a cold?

"Okay. If, and when, we face Artana, along with her army, I don't want to leave things to chance. She's precise, clever, and powerful. But, the latter isn't her own. Not entirely. " Asami gestured to the five booster suits stacked on a nearby crate. She'd already had Opal and Mako's measurements, so it was only the simple matter of getting Kuvira and Bolin's. And they had been uncomfortably easy to make. "At some point, and Mako and I are thinking it was when the suit was taken into evidence after my home invasion, the Red Lotus got their hands on a rough design of my bending booster suit." She chewed on her lip. "It basically does what it sounds like, but more specifically, it amplifies the efficiency in which your body uses energy, specifically chi, making larger feats of bending easier to pull off."

"Why isn't this available to the United Forces?" asked Kuvira.

"Because the more you use it, the faster it kills you." She shifted on to her other leg. "Think of it like starvation. Once you're out of chemical energy, your body will sap energy from the rest of you to keep you alive. With your body working at 100% efficiency, once you burn through your energy, the same thing happens. You won't know when to stop until it's too late." She cleared her throat. "Among...other side effects. Some of which are involuntary bending and violent muscle spasms."

Bolin's eyebrows shot up and then started snickering. He patted Mako on the back. "So _that's_ how that happened."

Mako pouted. Korra and Opal chuckled.

Asami bit back a laugh of her own. It wasn't funny. Well. It _was,_ but it wasn't polite to admit it in front of Mako. "Moving on, somehow Artana has either figured out how to avoid those problems, or she's putting tremendous strain on her body for short periods of time. If that's the case, we don't have to beat her; we just have to wait her out and let the suit kill her for us. Or, wait until she loses control and take her out when she can't defend herself."

" _...if you're just joining us, the Northern Water Tribe is going head to head with the Earth Empire's fresh new navy. Didn't know they even_ had _a navy, but apparently it packs quite a punch. We don't have much information on the specifics, but it seems that the Earth Empire is gaining ground…"_

"She's tough, but she's not invincible. She's human. If we land enough solid hits, she'll go down just like everyone else." said Mako. "Those combustion benders had her pinned down. And the cops, Tenzin, Bumi, Jinora and Kai fought her to a standstill."

"That's my point," said Asami. "It took _all_ of them just to even the odds. As strong as you guys are, all of us combined aren't even close to Korra." She crossed her arms. "If we want to win this, you're going to need to use these things."

"No way." Mako took a half-step back. "I am _not_ putting that thing back on again."

Asami shoved his folded booster suit into his arms. "These are flame retardant, waterproof, and electrically grounded. And it's far more streamlined, not to mention effective, than the first generation model you tested. Also you won't be using it for an entire week." She handed the rest of them out to Opal, Bolin and Kuvira. "There are small latches, with safety locks, on the upper arms, that are used to activate it. However, I've limited the effect down to less...lethal levels. In theory, that will let you notice when you're being drained too much, giving you time to turn it off."

"But we can remove that, right?" asked Opal. She shook out her suit, which of course doubled as a wingsuit. "If we need to?"

" _...insurgents, in the Fire Nation capitol, who had managed to get so far as into the palace itself, have been defeated with the combined efforts of Fire Nation special forces and, uh, if I'm reading this right, a dragon? Can somebody get confirmation on this?"_

"Yes. All you need to do is tear them both out. " Asami sighed. "Ideally, it won't come to that." She picked up her suit off of the crate and held it close to her chest. "Now, we have quite a bit of time until the ship gets where we need to go, so I think it'd be a good idea to get comfortable with these. Learn how they feel when they're being used so you can compensate for the change."

"Which means all that's left to do is wait," said Korra.

Asami checked her watch. Thirty-three hours.

"...anyone up for a game of Pai Sho?" asked Bolin.

" _After_ we test the suits," said Opal, rubbing his back.

"Right. After that."

"I'm a little Pai Sho'd out right now, Bolin. Sorry," said Asami.

He waved her off. "No problem. We'll just do it after we get back."

Asami gave him a sad smile. "Sure. I---I'm looking forward to it."

 

* * *

 

"What you want is exactly what the Red Lotus want: to use spirits as weapons in a human war---"

"Are you serious?!" yelled Korra, feeling the grass around her sharpen and contort. She glared at the dragon-eel spirit and jabbed a finger in its face. " _Both_ of our worlds are going to be destroyed and you're still going to try and pull that excuse?! I got your point with Kuvira, what happened there wasn't your problem, but now the only thing you're doing is being a massive jerk!" She ran her hands through her hair, flashed her teeth and pointed toward the tear in the barrier not twenty feet away. "How do those things not worry you?! If you were to fly through that, you'd pop out inside a bakery!"

An older woman's head popped out of the tear and frowned. "Could you keep it down! We're trying to sleep!"

Korra winced and waved at the woman. "Sorry. We'll be quiet."

"See that you do."

Korra gestured toward the hole again, the woman now gone, with an exasperated expression. "You see what I'm talking about, now?"

The dragon-eel appeared to consider her words for a moment. "Spirits do not normally interfere with the affairs of humans, just as humans do not interfere with those of the spirits."

"Okay." She put her hands on her hips. "Why? You've got three _good_ portals, and you could just 'meditate' out into the physical world before that. Why close yourself off like that? I haven't been the bridge for four years, because I thought it was important that _everyone_ should make an effort to get to know their neighbors, and all the most of you have done is ignore it."

The dragon-eel looked to it's many, many companions that had gathered around Korra. "And what have the humans done? Besides the spirit wilds?"

"Besides? Uh, no. No, you don't get to toss that away. We _tried._ And it worked, for the most part. Still is! People live there. Spirits live there. Do you hear any of them complaining all the time? No, you don't, _because we all get along just fine._ "

"Oh, do we, Avatar? I seem to recall one of your previous incarnations having a rather...violent disagreement with me."

Korra jumped as she felt _something_ materialize behind her, mere inches from her neck. She heard the skittering of large pincers and deep, guttural giggle. Of course, Raava had a rather clever solution to that problem which was--- _that's who that is?!_ Her eyes ignited in white along with the front of her body, bringing Raava's markings to the surface, just before the ambivalent spirit flipped himself over her and into her field of view. Korra felt herself pull away from her body, leaving room for Raava to speak.

Not quite an out of body experience, but not quite in her own either. Still, it was better than facing Koh the Face Stealer directly. Little difficult to win an argument without facial expressions.

"I've caught you!" exclaimed Koh, contorting his visage into an old man with a long grey beard. He approached Korra's nose and tilted his entire body. "How curious. That's always worked before. Wait…" Koh circled her. "You're...different than the last one. Where are the rest of you? I cannot sense them within you. They are not merely lost to you, but simply gone, as if they were never there at all."

'Rub it in more, jerk', thought Korra.

"Have you been living in your cave so long that you're truly that ignorant, Koh?" said Raava, her own voice blending with Korra's. Her face remained impassive. "She was the last of the first cycle, and the first of the second. You would do well to listen to her. All of you would." Raava took a step closer to Koh. "And even without a face, even without _me,_ Korra is fully capable of destroying you."

Koh slunk back a few feet and scoffed. "Raava, always so haughty and righteous."

"We've never directly met before."

Koh grinned. "Though that is how Wan Shi Tong describes you."

"Then he is quite the hypocrite."

"Once! I used those words _once_!" boomed the old bird, swooping out of the sky and landing beside them, his wings fully spread.

The old woman reappeared to, very loudly, shush Wan Shi Tong. As if he were in a library. Korra snorted into a very loud internal laugh.

Wan Shi Tong twisted his head and bent down beside Raava. Apparently he appreciated the idea of respectful silence far more than humans themselves. "But that is not important right now. I do not know, or understand, what is happening. Explain."

'Oh no. Asami's books are _so_ overdue. I completely forgot to return them! Maybe he forgot? No, there's no way he would. And I have no idea where those books even are...' thought Korra. 'Uh, right, and...just say the barrier is being torn apart? They know enough to get how bad that is. And if they don't, know-it-all over there probably does.'

Raava looked down at Korra's stomach. "Is this what you deal with everyday? I never knew how distracting I could be." She looked to Wan Shi Tong. "The barrier is being torn apart. Soon, the two worlds will become one, and everything will end. Whatever remains is unknowable. This threatens all reality, physical and spiritual. It is not a human war. It is simply a war, and we are already part of it."

'You're only distracting when I'm super stressed out or irritated, I promise. Really, you're fine. It's actually comforting to have you in here. And if you can convince Koh, somehow, and set him loose on the Earth Empire forces, that's it. We win. Giant bug monster spirit that steals faces? Yeah, nobody's gonna stay to fight that.'

"It's far worse than I feared," said Wan Shi Tong. "And there is no way to stop this?"

"There is but one way," said Raava. "But you must fight alongside us. All of you."

The dragon-eel 'swam' over to them. "What are we to do?"

"Listen closely…"

 

* * *

 

Asami focused her breathing and kept her eyes on Kuvira. They were below deck, in a large empty room that was apparently supposed to be filled with catgators. Torn sandbags and glass shards were scattered across the floor. Kuvira had her suit. Asami had her own, paired with her Penshe. And for the last hour and a half, they had been practicing two things.

Glassbending and dodging said glass. Or, more specifically, learning where _not_ to letthe glass hit her. Which, since she was wearing body armor and would be donning a helmet as well, was just her joints and neck.

Asami bobbed and weaved between streams of razor sharp glass, boosting away from one and pulling her head back from a few shards that flew mere inches from her face. The sound was distinct, but difficult to make out with the background noise, if not all but impossible due to the loud turbofan on her back. She took a direct hit to the chest, which bounced off of her armor harmlessly, and boosted into a sprint toward Kuvira.

The faster she ran, the harder she moved, the more she felt the pool in her belly movie. Neither contorting nor twisting, but not quite flowing either. She leaped over a torrent of sand and twisted herself through the air, narrowly dodging larger lances of glass that quickly turned around and flew straight toward her back. Asami slid backward, nearly gliding above the floor as she backpedaled.

There wasn't a pattern; Kuvira was too smart for that. But some things could be anticipated. Asami slid between the two glass spears, spun completely around and pushed forward passing straight through floating sand that Kuvira had yet to fully bend. And then she saw why. Above her, she saw over a dozen enormous blades of glass, each one far larger than her office window. There was no sand left. They fell from the sky, all aimed directly at where she was, not where she was going to be.

They weren't trying to kill each other. And, at that thought, Asami felt her stomach burn and her vision tinted red just enough to realize she must've been cut on the forehead. She blinked and her hand was inches away from Kuvira's surprised face. She froze there, her eyes slowly focusing on the electricity arcing along her outstretched palm, while she tried to wipe away blood that wasn't there.

Asami could kill her. She could. But she-it wasn't _right,_ even if it would bring her peace...no that wasn't how vengeance, no revenge, not how either worked. It would be murder-or a training accident. Senseless violence. Manslaughter.

Killed murdered died killed murdered died _she_ was murdered _he_ died _they_ were both killed-

Just another casualty of war.

Asami clenched her jaw, and, burying every urge screeching within her, closed her palm and pulled her arm away, letting it fall to her side. She turned away and unlatched her gloves, placing them on a nearby table. "I can't live like this anymore," she said, running a hand through her hair. "I can't keep _hating_ you for what you did. But I should. I should, but I can't, because I honestly think it's hurting me."

Kuvira didn't say a word, to her credit. She just turned off her suit with a low grunt.

"I know the difference. I've always known it. I just refused to admit it, since you were walking around. Living." She turned to face Kuvira, exhausted. "You killed my father, but you did not murder him. He _died_ protecting the only two things he still loved. His city, and me." She took a very deep breath. "I will never forget what you did, but I do know I can forgive you, because if I don't, this will only eat away at me more until it kills me. Or destroys everything around me."

Kuvira looked her over for a long moment. She bent the glass back into sand and pooled into the center of the deck. "Eloquent. But you don't believe a word of it."

"Yes, I do. Intellectually."

"You don't believe it, and all you've done is waste precious time."

Asami balled her hands into fists. Was she really that easy to read? "I could have killed you."

"No. But that trick of the eye should prove effective on Artana."

"Trick of---" Asami closed her eyes and shook her head. "You know what? I don't care."

 

* * *

 

Asami opened her cabin door and was greeted with a familiar sight. Korra sitting on the bed, meditating, her expression one of perfect serenity. Asami closed the door as quietly as possible, not that she could actually _rouse_ her, but still it...well, it looked like sleeping, and old habits died hard.

Once again, she checked her watch. Thirty hours.

She took off her heavy jacket and folded it on top of the cabinet. They hadn't brought much. An extra pair of clothes and very little else. Not because it could be a one way trip but...well, they wouldn't be gone that long, no matter what happened. She _had_ packed lingerie and yet…

She imagined straddling Korra and pulling her in for a deep, slow kiss the moment after she awakened, so that the first thing she would see, feel and taste would be her. And they would just go from there. No 'what ifs' or talk of fear or anxiety of what was to come. Just them.

Just _one_ more moment of calm before the storm. And she needed that. Needed it so badly that she was already rubbing her burning eyes. She pulled her hair out of its tie, flipped it and quickly changed into her black lace. The bed creaked as she climbed on top of it, gently moving Korra's hands around her waist as she sat up on her knees. She cupped her cheeks and rested their foreheads together, waiting.

Maybe it was her stubborn refusal to blink, lest she miss the moment, or everything else catching up to her in the silence of their cabin, save for the calm rocking of ship and their own breathing, but Asami started to cry. She didn't move. She just sobbed, letting her tears fall down her face.

Korra's eyes fluttered open. "Asami---"

Asami kissed her deeply, stopping her before she could start, and whimpered into her mouth. She pulled away just enough to press her index finger against Korra's lips, coupled with the smallest shake of her head. Korra nodded and lead her hands beneath the hem of her top, leaning back to pull it off over her head. She tossed it to the floor, and Asami sat up, yanked off Korra's boots, and repositioned herself briefly to allow Korra to remove her leggings and belt. She dipped down for another kiss, this time hungrier, more urgent, and ran her palms along Korra's perfectly toned abdomen as she went to work at removing her sleeves and bindings.

Her fingers roamed up towards Korra's chest just as the tight cloth fell away and...she felt something new. Fresh. Asami broke the kiss and opened her eyes. Three large scars, bunched close to one another, ran from just before Korra's bare breasts down to her navel. Korra turned away from her, shame and disgust buried deep behind her eyes. Then, she snorted into a dry, short laugh.

"I, uh, got so worked up that I forgot about those..." Korra made a useless gesture with her hand and slouched. "So, hey, it worked," she whispered.

Asami continued to gently explore the new scars and swallowed. She leaned forward, carefully selecting her words. This wasn't something she could completely understand, likely ever. And not just because she wasn't a bender. "I'm not scared of you."

"Yeah, but I am. I'm scared of me. People go crazy from that, you know."

Asami sighed and resettled herself on the bed beside Korra. "I do, but you won't. The only thing that could ever push you that far over the edge would be…" She tensed. "I hate the swamp. I hate it _so much._ "

Korra paled. "Is that what it showed you?"

"It showed me you, unhinged. Frantic. Tenzin was dead, and the Red Lotus was systematically wiping out the Air Nation. And succeeding. _That_ you...I thought it was just the result of Tenzin's murder, but I think it might've been bloodbending, too." She grimaced. "Oh, and _then_ the entire vision exploded with a hundred spirit portals bursting out of the ground."

"That's horrifying."

"Yeah. What was…" Asami chewed on her lip. "You don't have to talk about what you saw."

Korra shook her head. "No, it's okay. It was just random back then, but I had two. First one was of you, battered and with glowing red eyes, and I _thought_ you were just taking the place of that _thing_. But it was...different. It fought smarter." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "...she could bend all four elements, and-Artana. Thanks a lot, swamp!"

Asami rubbed her eyes. It was _so obvious_ in hindsight. "The second?"

"I couldn't bend, someone who _looked_ liked you beat the crap out of me, kept calling me Blue, for some reason." She tapped her chin. "And _that one_ knew she was in my vision, and broke my arm to end it."

"Someone who looked like me? She had a different name?"

Korra rolled her eyes. "Yeah, kinda. 'Asami Fucking Sato'." She balled her hands into fists and took a heavy breath. "How...how are you not scared of me? Of what I could do?"

"Because I remember what it felt like, what Tarrlok did to me. You've felt the same thing, and worse, and I _know_ you wouldn't wish that on anyone." Besides Zaheer, but that went without saying. Given the chance, Asami would kill him without hesitation.

"Maybe." Korra tensed. "But after that, he-he just lost it. More than twenty years of restraint and I set him off. Burned that all to the ground."

"That wasn't your fault."

"No, but I... _saw_ how quickly it affected him. He was just a slimy jerk politician, but in seconds he became something else. After his bending was gone he felt-well, not normal, but more human." She covered her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry, Raava."

"You think---"

"I _know._ The temptation to use it will be there for every single Avatar after me. All of them. Forever." She fell back on to the bed and stared at the ceiling. "How long until one of them gives in? What happens then? Aang had trouble stopping Yakone, so...how do you stop an Avatar who can do what he did?" She bit her lip. "And you know, it's worse than that. You know how Lin can see with her feet?"

"Sorta. It's like a wolfbat's echolocation, I think." Asami's brows raised and she slowly lowered herself on to the bed. "Are you saying you can _see_ people like that? Feel their blood?"

"Yes, but it's...harder during the day. I can block it out. But, apparently, I can't do that at night so well. Goes in and out." Korra shook her head. "I don't regret choosing to live, but the messed up part is that I probably won't have to pay the price for it. Someone else down the line will."

"I don't think Raava would choose someone who would give in to the temptation, Korra. Don't you think that would have happened by now? There were a lot of Avatars before you, and maybe some of them..."

"No. No, they didn't. A few had...encountered it. Knew how to resist it, but aside from that they avoided learning it because they _understood_ the consequences." She groaned and raked her fingers through her hair. "And I didn't even _try_ to learn it! I got it shoved in my brain!"

"That's what happens when you're a prodigy," said Asami. "You understand things instantly."

Korra turned to lean on her elbow and frowned. "...it's the same thing you've got in deep storage. _Was_ in deep storage." She shoved her face into the blanket. "What you leave behind not being what you wanted it to be," she said, muffled.

Asami's breath caught in her throat. It _was_ the same. So she...she did understand what Korra was feeling. It was both comforting and terrifying. She sat up, Korra rested her head in her lap, and she started stroking her hair. They were silent for a few minutes. Perhaps longer.

It didn't really matter.

"I'm scared," whispered Asami.

"We'll beat her. I know you're scared, and I'm scared too. Terrified. I always am when things get crazy like this. And it's okay to be scared, but you can't let people out there see it. If they do, they lose hope, and we need all the hope we can get right now."

Asami shook her head and bit her lip. "That's not what scares me. I know we'll win. I just..." Her eyes burned again and she wiped the tears away before they could fall. "This is different. What if we can't protect you? What if we win, but-"

"Asami-"

"No! What if we win, but it kills you?!" She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears still came. "I can't go through that again. I can't lose someone again. I can't handle that. Do you understand me?" she asked, pleading. "I _cannot_ handle losing everything all over again."

Korra looked up at her for a moment, and then...she actually _smirked._ "I told you that I wasn't just going to die after you let me in, remember? I meant that. I'm still here. Haven't left, never will."

"That's…" Asami frowned. "That's not a promise you can actually keep."

"You're wrong, Asami. I'm the only one who _can._ I'm the Avatar." She sat up, cupped her cheek and gave her a tender kiss. "Okay?"

Asami took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now…" Korra reached around Asami's back, unhooked her bra, quickly tossing it aside, and then, pushing her back on to the bed, slid her panties down and off her legs. "I believe we have some unfinished business."

Asami widened her eyes.

Korra narrowed hers.

 

* * *

 

Mako yawned as he walked through sleeping quarters hallway. He'd spent the evening getting a feel for how the new suit worked with his bending, and he had to admit that it didn't feel nearly as crazy as the old one. The boat rocked gently from side to side and, metal creaking as the frame settled and...he couldn't remember which room was his.

He shrugged and walked to the closest one, but backed away once he heard-oh. Well. That was _definitely_ the Beifong suite. The one next to it was the...not Beifong room. He still wasn't quite clear on how Baatar and Kuvira worked. And after that, the Varrick-Moon estate. Which meant that, clearly, the second to last would be Korra and Asami, which meant he got the one at the end of the hall.

Mako stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. He missed Harumi, and not just for the obvious reasons. "...how did I get stuck on a suicide mission with _four_ couples?"

 

* * *

 

Asami tightened Korra's harness in the Satohawk's navigator seat. Heavy rain pattered down on to craft's hardened armor, falling over the glass canopy with a muffled thump. Not the best weather for flying, but they wouldn't be stuck in the rain long. "Are you sure you can still breathe?" she asked, locking it into place.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No way I'll be falling out of this thing," said Korra, wriggling in her restraints.

Asami nodded and rested her hand on her shoulder, taking a look back into the hold. Mako and Bolin had just finished loading their high explosives, while Opal was handing something to Zhu Li at the end of the ramp. Kuvira slipped by her, helmet in hand, and strapped herself into her seat.

"I still feel like Zhu Li would be more appropriate for this job," said Baatar, sitting not very comfortably in the co-pilot's seat. "She knows the directions just as well as I do."

Asami looked at him briefly before turning back to the hold. "Once again, I disagree. You were able to approach this objectively, while Zhu Li was part of the UDS development team. You've got a better head for this right now, okay? Besides, it's not going to distract Kuvira anymore than it is the rest of us with protecting Korra."

Baatar took another look at his typed directions and topographical map cutouts. "It's because I memorized all of this, isn't it?"

" _And_ because you're an excellent gunner."

Opal walked up the ramp, frowning and looking lost in thought. Bolin gave her a hug and she caught Asami's eyes. "I...had to give Zhu Li our wedding rings for safe keeping. There's enough silver to…" She shook her head. "Let's just go."

Asami nodded and sat down in the cockpit. She closed the ramp behind them, quieting the sound of the rain even further, and began cycling through her pre-flight checks. Fuel, weapons, hydraulics, electromagnet-everything was normal. She turned on the engine and the tilt-rotors start to spin. Faster and faster, deflecting the rain around them and creating a sort of barrier around them. Unsecured boxes and debris were blown back and over the side of the ship, and Asami peaked out of the cockpit to see Varrick, his coat flapping in the wind, give them a mock salute.

She returned the gesture and rested her hands on the stick.

They could do this. They would. They _had_ to.

"Korra?"

"Ready."

Asami pulled up on the stick and the Satohawk rose off of the flight deck, its headlights splaying out over the ocean. Once she'd made it to the right altitude, she rolled her fingers on the tilt-lever. "All right, in three…" She slowed her breathing and felt the fog in her mind clear away. Just enough. "Two…" Her stomach calmed it's near-constant twisting, and she breathed. "One." She pulled the tilt-lever back and felt the Satohawk pitch forward as their lift also became their thrust. "Go."

The Satohawk quickly gained speed, flying straight toward the bright white portal, which grew larger and larger in front of them. She heard Korra enter the Avatar State behind her and licked the inside of her lips. The speedometer kept climbing. 180. 190. 200, 210... _220 miles an hour._ The needle hovered around the red mark and Asami felt her confidence being restored. If they were moving that fast, there wasn't a chance they could be shot down. Nothing was quick enough to hit them.

"All right! This might be a little bumpy!" she yelled over the din of the rotors and rain. They pushed through the pulsating pillar of light and came out the other side. The storm was gone, replaced with a twirling mess of orange, purple and green sky and a valley filled with mountains that touched one another at the peak.

"LEFT! SIXTY DEGREES! THIRTY MILES!" yelled Korra.

Asami banked left and saw a tiny beam of light move along with them, passing through the armor and anchored in Korra's hand. Twenty-two hours and three hundred and sixty six portals to go.

 

* * *

 

Eska, along with Desna and a contingent of the Northern Water Tribe's best waterbenders, stood in a half circle around the Spirit Oasis. There was no one to replace the Ocean or the Moon if they were to die again, and they weren't going to let that happen.

Their walls and defenses may have been breached, but help would come. They just needed to stall them long enough for Korra to arrive and deal with them so she could go back to _ruling her nation._

But they had been waiting for hours since the attack had begun! Not a single landing craft had even approached the shore, and every shot of the spirit cannon didn't come within a mile of the hidden cove. It was almost as if they didn't care. Which meant it must be a trick.

A runner burst into the chamber waved his arms, radio in hand. "Chief Eska, Chief Desna! I have urgent, and very good, news!"

Eska motioned for him to continue.

"The Earth Empire is opening communications with us! They want to negotiate a cease-fire!"

"That's not funny. Give me that," said Desna. The runner did so, and her brother clicked it on.

"This is Chief Desna of the Northern Water Tribe. What do you want?"

" _Ah, a pleasure to speak with you, Chief Desna. I am General Yao, captain of the_ Senlin _and acting diplomatic liaison for the Earth Empire. We've been trying to reach you for quite some time, and I'm glad we finally could. There seems to have been quite a...misunderstanding."_

"Why is a captain _also_ a general?" Eska snatched the radio out of her brother's hands. "You blew up our navy!"

" _We had solid intelligence that your military was being manipulated by the Red Lotus, and have been trying to warn you for the past several days."_

"Words cannot express how stupid that sounds," said Eska. "Did you forget that you blew up our navy?!"

" _No, I did not, and for that I deeply apologize on behalf the entire Earth Empire, but it was a necessary sacrifice, as I'm sure you'll soon understand."_

"Doubtful," mumbled Desna.

" _It seems all of our efforts were thwarted by the traitors in your midst. Additionally, we were attempting to request passage to the northern portal, so that we might stop the...well, the sky is tearing itself apart. We need to get to the Tree of Time to stop that from happening."_

Eska frowned. "That is ridiculous. Wouldn't we know if there were Red Lotus agents within us?"

Desna shrugged. "We didn't know about the secret ice prison, either. This could be the same thing."

"Fine," grumbled Eska. "Are you planning on destroying the palace?"

" _We wouldn't dare, Chief Eska. However, now that-"_

"I don't care what you do as long as you stay away from this place!" said Eska. "I like my waterbending! March to the portal, fix all the weird stuff in the sky, and then _go away!_ "

" _Thank you, Chief Eska. I'll make the proper arrangements, and I assure you that the Northern Water Tribe will receive hefty reparations for this...incident. Additionally, if you would like assistance in guarding the palace, I can station a battalion of VarriMechs there._

"Did you not hear me? Fix the sky, and go away before the Avatar gets here and figures out what you're hiding!"

" _...understood."_

The radio clicked off.

Desna frowned. "Why did you say no? Then we could leave this horrid place."

"Because we're not stupid."

"But that means we have to stay here for even longer," grumbled Desna.

"Yes. It is _so boring_ in here."

 

* * *

 

Artana took a deep breath as she finally stepped on to Northern Water Tribe soil. The battle had been grueling, but ultimately a victory. Nothing could withstand a constant barrage of spirit cannons, which was, in the end, the point. Well, that and some clever political maneuvering. She watched as the Earth Empire soldiers marched past confused and wary Northern Water Tribe warriors.

She could have destroyed the Spirit Oasis from several miles out, but there wouldn't be any point. It would make their landing more difficult, and their journey to the portal obstructed with former waterbenders throwing themselves at them in a fit of meaningless rage.

Artana checked her watch. Ten more hours and no sign of the Avatar. Which meant they were already there, somehow, or they were still scrambling. She stopped a sergeant as she passed by her. "Are you being deployed to the front, soldier?"

"Yes, ma'am!", she said.

"By land or by air?"

"VTOL, ma'am."

Artana folded her hands behind her back. "Excellent. I'll be observing, then."

The sergeant blinked several times. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"

"Granted."

"Why?"

Artana smiled. "Because I wish to see the end with my own eyes, and not those of a mover lens."

 

* * *

 

 

Eighteen hours passed by in a blur. Asami couldn't be sure if it was just the result of muscle memory, or if their journey had been so focused that it all seemed to blend together. It's not that it hadn't been uneventful so far. Not exactly. But there were only so many jokes Bolin could make to ease their shared tension and fear before they stopped helping.

Even then, the panic they'd expected to see when flying over populated areas just...wasn't there.

It was so eerie. They'd flown over the Fire Nation several times, only to see that, according to the radio and from what they could make out themselves, they had the situation under control. Same for everywhere else. Then again, the goal had been to distract the world long enough so that help would never come, not indefinitely. Sure, the tears were only growing larger and more prevalent, and she was pretty sure the sky had been stained purple, but the silence was...maybe they'd out maneuvered Artana?

As she flew back into the spirit world, she shut down that train of thought. 

Asami quickly pitched down, avoiding a tear in the barrier that could have cut them in half. So far, the trip had been rather uneventful, which made her all the more uneasy. The strands of light radiating from Korra only grew brighter, and she was pretty sure they were leaving a trail through the sky, like a blinding needle and thread. Her hands were clammy under her gloves and she could sense the stress radiating off of her friends. And Kuvira.

Which, unfortunately, was to be expected. An eighteen hour journey was bound to discourage anyone.

"Forty six degrees, north by north east," said Baatar.

She nodded and made the adjustments, taking a peek at the timer she'd mounted to the instruments and speedometer. Four hours. "We're ahead of schedule," she said, feeling even more uneasy.

They shouldn't be early. Nothing was ever that easy.

"RIGHT! ONE HUNDRED TWENTY DEGREES! TEN MILES!" yelled Korra.

Asami pitched around and furrowed her brow. "...doesn't that take us directly in the path of the Earth Empire's approach?"

Baatar nodded and double checked the map. "It does, but we're an hour ahead of them, by my best calculations. Unless they met no resistance upon landing, which is highly unlikely. Even if they just flew above the city, they'd still need to refuel and repair from the fight at sea."

Asami exhaled as they neared the final portal. "Right."

"Assuming they didn't use all their planes," added Kuvira.

"Why wouldn't they? They're going up against a navy full of waterbenders." Asami rolled her eyes and passed back into the material world. It was already the dead of night, and there was a light snowfall. To the south west, she spotted the final portal, much less bright than the northern one in front of them. She made for a low turn and, out of the corner of her eye, saw several hundred black dots approaching from the coast.

The Earth Empire.

"We've got a lot company!" she yelled, pushing the engine into the red. The speedometer inched further toward 230, but it wasn't enough. "Directly behind us! This wasn't designed for air-to-air engagements!" The Satohawk's frame shook.

"We've still got fifty miles to go," said Baatar. "Not counting the Spirit World."

"...maybe they don't see us?" suggested Bolin meekly. "We're painted black in the middle of the night."

Asami huffed. "Bolin, the giant burning light the sky that Korra's carrying around is a really easy target!"

Beams of lightning tore through the air around them, and Asami dove down and left, narrowly dodging another volley that melted the ice below them. Off in the distance, a squadron of monoplanes banked back towards them, making for another attack run.

Asami grit her teeth. "Someone get on those cannons!"

 

* * *

 

 

"No…" Artana pushed her way to the front the VTOL and violently yanked open the side door. "No." She leaned outside, ignoring the wind, bits of ice and snow blowing past her and put on her binoculars. She tracked the giant trail of white light streaking through the air. "That's impossible." The Satohawk's door cannons flashed and her planes started falling out of the sky, detonating as arcs of blue lightning melted through their frames and ignited their fuselage.

Arana switched on her radio and slammed the door closed. "All air units, focus fire on the unidentified craft!" she said, raising her voice more than she'd intended. "This takes priority over _everything else!_ Do not advance through the portal until that thing is blown out of the sky!"

Artana balled her hands into fists and the metal frame of her radio creaked, nearly snapping. Clever, clever, clever. But not clever enough. One Satohawk couldn't take down an entire air fleet, no matter how good the pilot was!

The VTOL shook violently, and Artana grounded herself on the wall, keeping her balance.

"Woah, looks like some nasty weather heading our way!" said the pilot.

"What are you talking about, the sky is clear---" Artana's eyes widened before she even looked out the window. She grabbed a parachute.

That could be a problem.

 

* * *

 

Korra ripped her bindings apart like tissue paper and sprinted to the back of the Satohawk, snatching a spare set of metal cables from a rack along the way. Her eyes still burned white. If she dropped out of the Avatar State, she'd lose her connection to the portals, and all of that would be for nothing. But that didn't mean she couldn't bend something big. Her focus was spread too thin for anything less.

"Korra! What the hell are you doing!?" asked Asami.

"Just keep us steady!" she said, her voice booming. Korra bent her cables up and over the airframe and jumped out of the Satohawk, snapping herself to the top of the craft. She grounded herself with more metal, splitting her cables, before the insane wind resistance sent her flying straight into the rotors. She crouched down and focused on all of the air around her. The water in the snow. The earth beneath the ice. The fire within herself.

Korra gathered the clouds from miles around, spinning them faster and faster around one another high above. She stopped the snow and molded them into massive icicles, creating a whirlwind of frozen lances beneath the growing storm. Then, the earth. Buried deep below them, Korra tore several hundred feet of bedrock out of the ground and scattered the boulders to the hurricane, which only grew stronger. But it followed her, not the enemy.

Korra pulled her arms close and her storm paused in place, just long enough for the Satohawk to fly out of harm's way. Then, she let it go and watched as it consumed every plane and knock-off before her. Smashing into mountains, sliced in half by ice and crushed by the wind itself, two by two, four by four, they burst into flames. Which is exactly what it was missing.

Fire.

Korra centered her breathing and felt the hum of power surge through her body. Through her stomach and up her arms, all the way to her fingertips. Lightning arced off of both her hands as she made the traditional sweeping motions, growing stronger and brighter the more it flowed within her, until each flash became more than twice her size. Once she could no longer contain it, she leaned back, pulled her arms close and unleashed her tempest.

"This is for Ikki."

Ear deafening thunder rang out as lightning overwhelmed the sky, burning so brightly that it looked midday. The air was clear. It was dark again. They had won. Korra flipped back inside, shut the ramp and-

The Satohawk jerked forward and the red warning lights flicked on along with the siren. The frame rattled and Korra quickly strapped herself into an empty seat.

"Damnit! Hydraulics are failing," said Asami, her voice straining as if she were about to snap. "Right rotor's failing, but I think we'll make it for a hard landing!"

"EVERY! TIME!" yelled Bolin. "How'd anyone even hit us?!"

"We weren't! Korra, I think you might've overdone it with the lightning."

Korra grunted and visualized the Tree of Time. She blocked out everything else. Every sound, every change in motion as the Satohawk started spinning out of control, every sight of panic until there was only the tree.

And then she moved them there. Straight into the ground.

 

* * *

 

Asami woke up feeling groggy as blue, comforting light washed over her. The sky was twisting in on itself, purples becoming orange every time she blinked, and at the top of her vision she saw the edges of gnarled roots. She slowly sat up and rubbed the side of her head. If she didn't have brain damage before, she probably did now. She took the hand extended to her and pulled herself up.

Everything was...fuzzy.

"Little touch and go for a minute there, but you're okay," said Korra, clearly out of breath.

"Thank you." Asami rubbed her head. "I don't like this pattern of me getting hurt and you having to heal me."

"Well, I had to heal everyone this time, but yeah, it's…" She wobbled. "...getting exhausting. That's what spirit water is for, though."

Asami turned around to face the smoking wreck of her Satohawk. It had crashed nose first into the earth, its left rotor still intact but sliced into the ground. The canopy was cracked and Mako, Bolin, Kuvira and Opal were hauling equipment out of the broken hold, while Baatar fiddled with something on in the cockpit.

She checked her watch. It was broken. "How much time do we have left? Or...how long was I out?"

"We have no idea," said Mako gravely.

"And we still have entire army of infantry, mechs and tanks to contend with," said Kuvira.

"And Korra ate all the snacks," grumbled Bolin.

Asami looked up at the hollow of the tree and raised her brows as she saw Korra hop into it. "I must be in shock, because if we failed, I should be having every kind of breakdown imaginable."

Korra shook her head. "We haven't failed. Not yet. I can still do this from here. Plan's the same. Keep them off me and we'll all get through this."

Asami nodded absently, but then her brain sparked back to life. They'd been flying out of control, Korra had obliterated their air force, and then...they got here? Korra moved them. The barrier was so weak that she could pull it off. Asami climbed up into the tree and watched as Korra got into a meditative position. "...do you really think you can do this?" she whispered. "And even if _you_ can, you heard what Kuvira said. We're not prepared to protect you for more than an hour. Even if we bottleneck them..."

Korra popped open her waterskin and gave her an apologetic look before guzzling down the entire thing. They could always make another one. "Don't worry about that. Raava made sure we'd have reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?"

"Spirit army."

"How did-" Asami shook her head, remembering the current disaster they were in. "Yes, this would be the time to make that happen."

"Just don't make eye contact with the giant bug monster. He promised not to steal _our_ faces, and only attack people in Earth Empire uniforms, but I don't trust him."

"Okay. Avoid the giant bug. Got it." Asami did not have the time or energy to ask for clarification on that. "So, I guess...all we have to do is deal with…" She looked over her shoulder, toward the northern portal. "Artana."

Korra answered by entering the Avatar State. And a large memory of her appeared behind her, mouthing something unmistakeable.

_Up for being the Noodles?_

Asami blushed, bent down and kissed her on forehead. "Yes. And I _always_ will be," she whispered. "But I'm still not calling you hot water." Asami stepped out of the tree and made her way down to the ground. No goodbyes, because they'd win. No last declarations of love, because none were needed. Also, again, they would _win._ They knew exactly where the enemy would be coming from, but not when, or how many.

"I don't think it would be wise to rely on a spirit army -which I haven't heard of til now- especially when they have a precedent of ignoring human conflicts," said Kuvira. "Baatar and I could commandeer the Earth Empire army instead. It would effectively neutralize the threat."

"How?" asked Asami.

"I'm the Great Uniter," Kuvira said, a ghost of a smile playing over her face. "I just need radio hub access, Baatar, and the right words."

Asami rubbed her chin. It'd probably work, and then Artana would be the _only_ danger. Assuming she wasn't part of the fleet Korra had destroyed. "Do it, but hurry back. We'll probably need you both."

Kuvira nodded and the two of them vanished through the portal.

Asami rubbed her temples and took a look at their potential battlefield. Plenty of earth, but no cover besides the downed Satohawk. She paused and approached it. "Is any part of this still working?"

Opal shrugged. "Baatar said that the rotor and magnet were. And...I guess the ejector seats."

Asami ran her hand along the warped metal armor and nodded. "Okay. Bolin, can you get this on its side?"

"Sure."

Asami walked over to their pile of salvaged equipment and picked out her fan-blades. She tested their weight, electrified them for a moment, studying how the charge functioned normally, and was relieved to find they were almost completely undamaged. She sheathed them and picked up her helmet. "And the explosives?"

"One of the detonators still work," said Mako. "And it's not like that sticky VarriBoom stuff can break."

"Good." Asami donned her helmet and adjusted the built-in goggles. "I've got an idea."

 

* * *

 

Artana woke up freezing, face first in the snow. She quickly rolled over and yelped in pain as she smashed her shoulder into the ground. Dislocated. Everything else felt numb from the cold. She bit down on her glove and cracked the joint back in place with a muffled scream.

She took a minute or two to catch her breath, wiping the sweat off of her face and struggling to find her bearings. She'd bailed out, but still hit the ground far too hard. She checked herself for further injuries, but aside from some internal bruising, and some external ones, she was all right.

Once she'd found her helmet, Artana stood and looked to the northern portal. The path had become a steel graveyard, still burning and filling the air with smog. Jagged metal cut through the ice, some still glowing with heat as a result from the lightning. Airframes and wings were barely recognizable, covered in scorched scars and stripped of their paint.

She had three options. One was to check for survivors, which was an ultimately fruitless endeavor that would most likely lead to her freezing to death, not to mention the fact that everyone was already as good as dead. Or, would be. Second was attempting to earthbend her way to the portal on foot, but even then she was more likely to freeze than reach it. Third was to wait for the mobile infantry to make their way to her, which shouldn't take long at all.

So, really, she had only the one option. The other two were moronic.

Artana checked her watch. Three and a half hours left until the point of no return. They'd fail. And yet...she wanted to see how close they could get. Self-indulgent hope, of course. But still, better to die knowing than in the dark.

She felt a rumble in the ground and looked to the south. A long column of troop transports, mechs, tanks and trucks rolled toward her. She waved them down and an officer's jeep slowed down beside her, allowing her to hop in.

"What happened here, Admiral?"

Artana rubbed her hands together for warmth. "The Avatar annihilated our entire air force. She must have been misled to believe that the cause she is fighting for is just." Her uniform was in tatters, so she tore the rest of it off, leaving her with her armor and booster suit beneath it.

The officer, a major, eyed her, confused. "Ma'am, why would the Avatar help the Red Lotus?"

Artana pinched the bridge of her nose. Perhaps she'd hit her head as well. "I don't know."

"I thought the Avatar was helping us," said the driver. "And if she can take out our entire air force like that…"

"That's not your concern, soldier." Artana put on her helmet, sliding the full mask into place to protect her from the windchill, and looked over her shoulder, watching the army plow through the snow like...like a snow plow. Ugh. Maybe she really _did_ hit her head. "While her power is limitless, her body is still human…"

Then, a familiar man and woman sped by her, sliding through the ground on a curved piece of metal. Their 'vehicle' kicked snow and ice fragments into her face and quickly vanished into the advancing forces. If Artana didn't know better, she'd say they were-

"Kuvira and Baatar?" she mumbled. But why? Why charge headfirst into the enemy, rather than avoid them? They couldn't run. They couldn't distract them for long, even if they were to sacrifice themselves. It was completely nonsensical, and very odd for Kuvira especially. What practical purpose did it serve?

Artana pushed it out of her mind. It didn't matter. She returned her attention to the northern portal, which had started blinking very quickly. Little bright sparks appeared before it by the dozens, from top to bottom. None of that struck her as odd until the radio shifted from calm, collected progress reports to very confusing and staggered statements.

" _What the hell is---"_

" _Is that a bug---"_

" _Run it over! How is it---"_

They all cut out, but not with static. They simply stopped speaking. They were still attempting to transmit, as she could hear rumbling and metal equipment each time a signal came through. Explosions, fire, and screeching wheels-every sign of battle but the words to carry it out. She heard soldiers start to scream, but only the beginning. Several jeeps veered out of formation and took off to the south. Again, in silence.

It took the truck in front of her to spin out of control and flip onto its side for Artana to put it together. A giant spike pierced through the tarp and clean through the undercarriage and chucked it over a hundred feet back north with little effort. And then she saw it. Saw _him._

Well, his segmented back. Not his face. Ever.

Koh the Face Stealer was rampaging through her lines. _Koh the Face Stealer._ Apparently full helmets did nothing to counter his power. Spirits of all shapes and sizes joined him, chasing soldiers and vehicles alike and leaping within them, taking control and turning them on their masters. A trio of dragonbirds swooped out of the sky and screeched flames, setting the road in front of her on fire, engulfing more and more in a blaze that _burned in snow_.

She'd laugh at the irony if she wasn't so...not scared. Stunned, that was it.

Artana jumped out of the jeep, burrowed several dozen feet underground and propelled herself through the earth towards the portal. "Even in death, you continue to be a nuisance, Unalaq," she growled.

 

* * *

 

Kuvira brought their makeshift sled to a skidding stop as they reached the Earth Empire's mobile command post. She would have much rather taken a jeep, but the spirit army was making short work of those.

The soldiers guarding the post started towards them, but froze in their tracks and stood at attention once they recognized Baatar and herself. She held up a gloved hand in greeting, nodding curtly. Even after her surrender, even after over a year away, the loyalty and obedience was still ingrained in her men. She gave them a once-over as she neared, out of curiosity. The uniforms were still immaculate, the shoulders still squared, the epaulettes still gleaming, even if the fabric of the tunics was a darker shade of green.

"Colonel Guo," she said coolly, raising her voice as they strode up the ramp. "You have been relieved of duty."

"Kuvira? Baatar? What---" The older woman looked at her with surprise but quickly acquiesced. "Understood, commander."

"Patch me through to the entire deployment, Colonel."

"Yes, ma'am."

Kuvira turned to Baatar, giving him a significant look. "Time?"

Baatar checked his pocket watch. "Three hours."

"Warm up one of the jeeps. I won't be long."

Baatar nodded and jogged down the ramp, toward the motorcade.

"We're ready for you, commander," said the colonel.

"Good." She walked over to the radio station and picked up the microphone. "This is your new commander speaking. I have reclaimed command of _my_ Earth Empire military." She paused, her grip on the microphone tightening. "This is Kuvira."

Guo looked uneasy.

"The Red Lotus has infiltrated our ranks and is attempting to manipulate us for their own ends," she continued, her voice falling into the familiar cadence she had used scores of times before, as she readied the troops for a battle. "You are being used as their distraction, and an obstacle to the order the Avatar seeks to restore. All orders involved in this operation are hereby rescinded. As your new commanding officer, your new orders are to terminate the traitors in our ranks. Any soldier found disobeying these orders is guilty of high treason, and is to be executed on sight."

The words made her stomach turn, but there was little else she could do. Kuvira had no way of knowing who was and was not being manipulated by the Red Lotus, so had no choice but to sacrifice her highest ranking officers or risk the entire operation. Cost-benefit analysis. She had done it hundreds of times before. A handful of deaths for countless lives. She could live with it.

"The following officers, in alphabetical order, have been confirmed as Red Lotus agents: Rear Admiral Artana, Major Bao, Captain Chen, Colonel Guo---"

She felt the motion behind her and spun around, metalbending a steel strip straight into the colonel's forehead. Guo's lifeless body dropped to the ground, eyes agape. "---Lieutenant Shieng…"

 

* * *

 

 

"... _and finally General Yao. Kuvira out."_

General Yao took several steps back from the rest of his bridge officers, toward the balcony. They rose and began stalking towards him, their anger only growing. His eyes widened and he chuckled anxiously. "Now, I know what you're thinking, 'should we kill him?' And the answer _may_ surprise you!"

The radio chirped back to life. " _Kuvira speaking. If you are currently without a face, it will be returned to you should you survive the mission. That is all."_

General Yao held out his palms, placatingly. "See, she's gone mad, and _she's_ the-" The next thing he knew, he was thrown head first through several layers of glass and down on to the lifeboats. He screamed, and everything went black.

 

* * *

 

 

Kuvira hopped into the driver's seat of the jeep Baatar had prepared and checked her mirrors. She had bought them more than enough time, judging by the controlled chaos that was happening in her rear view.

"Are you certain that Korra can get their faces back?" said Baatar. "It's not like you to make a promise you can't back."

"She'll find a way. Either out of gratitude or sympathy, it doesn't matter."

"Commander," said one of the engineers, approaching their jeep just as she'd been about to press down on the gas "What are we to do with the bomb, now that the mission has been scrapped?"

"What bomb?"

"The spirit bomb."

Baatar's eyes widened. He practically jumped out of the jeep. "I'll handle this. Go!"

Kuvira nodded and the jeep roared toward the portal. Ideally, they would not need her. But this was hardly an ideal situation.

 

* * *

 

Artana stood over the bodies of nearly a dozen frontline infantrymen, their helmets crushed into their skulls. No sooner than she'd surfaced near the northern portal did Kuvira's voice boom through the radios of the few soldiers who had managed to make it to the end. What's more is that they couldn't even call out to her. Insult her, threaten her, call her a traitor.

For they had no face.

Artana scowled and began stacking sandbags at the lip of the portal. At least they'd managed to bring proper equipment, as cooperative sandblasting had become a not uncommonly taught technique since she had introduced it to the training officers. Very effective for frontline troops and ambushes, as the 'sandbender' had demonstrated.

She checked her watch. Two hours, fifty minutes. The sky was still bleeding color and the tears grew larger, so their failure was all but guaranteed. But, even so...

Artana looked back and forth between the portal and the truck, considering her next move. Without an _entire army_ she had to fall back on one of her least favorite contingencies. The one where it was her against all of them. Except for Kuvira, though. That was a surprise gain.

If she were Asami, what would she...hm. Oh, that would work.

That would work perfectly.

 

* * *

 

Asami glared at the portal and kept her breathing quiet. She hid within the hollow of the tree, her back pressed against the edge of the opening. They'd prepared, and they'd been waiting for what felt like hours. Of course, they had no way of knowing how much time had passed, since every watch and time piece they had was broken in the crash.

Ten minutes? Twenty? An hour? Two?

The Tree of Time was glowing yellow, so very faintly, but that hopefully meant that very visible strain on Korra's body wasn't for nothing.

Her heart skipped a beat when a massive truck came flying out of the portal, which landed upside down, shattering its glass windshields. And then...several dead bodies came tumbling through the beam. What? She chewed on her lip and rubbed her thumb across her jury rigged radio. They were distractions, and she made a mental note to thank Opal for having nerves stronger than steel. If it had been her down there, she'd have been fooled by the corpses.

Then, Artana leaped out of the portal, moving as if she were about to bend the truck she'd brought, but no. She didn't get the chance. Several dozen pounds of plastic explosive detonated right on top of her, creating an enormous fireball and crater just in front of the portal. It incinerated the bodies and shook the tree.

"Yeah! Take that, you bitch!" yelled Opal, peaking out from behind the downed Satohawk.

"I'm impressed you---"

Asami's blood ran cold. She spun around and slashed at Artana, but missed by inches. How did she survive that?!

"---weren't fooled---"

Asami lunged at her again, but didn't even nick her. She was moving so fast that Asami didn't even see her do it.

"---by the corpses---"

"Get!" She swung at her, electricity arcing off of her blade, but connected with nothing. "Away!" She spun and swept her swords up with her, giving Artana less room to maneuver, but she still couldn't land a hit. "FROM HER!" She sliced at the air as she chased her around the tree, bounding off of the inner walls. "YOU BITCH!" Asami boosted forward to counter Artana's inhuman speed and missed her mark, driving her blades straight into the bark.

"---Kuvira's doing, you know!" boasted Artana, now somehow back down in the crater. "Turned her own people---"

Mako shot a bolt of lightning that drilled right through her head.

Wait, drilled?

Artana's neck sparked with blue particles and her entire head reformed, unharmed. "---against one another, just so you'd only have to deal with me. And that spirit army? I'll admit, you people surprised me with Koh."

Bolin leaped out from behind the tree and tore the earth apart, creating a wave of bubbling lava that swallowed her whole. It filled the crater to the brim, steam rising up into the twisting sky.

A memory played right in Asami's periphery of Zaheer in an orange grove. He was arguing with Aiwei. He looked at Korra, surprised, and the two of them completely vanished, only for him to reappear moments later atop a cliff, tossing Aiwei off it.

Asami paled. "She's not here!" she yelled out of the tree. "She just meditated into the spirit world---"

"And now I know where all of you are," She said, now perched atop the Satohawk. "Valiant effort, but ultimately a failed one." And then she vanished.

The portal pulsed and, once again, Artana walked through it, this time wearing a helmet. "Okay, okay, I just wanted to see if you'd fall for this twice!" she called out, waving them off. "I mean, do you _truly_ believe that this is the real Artana?" She grinned. "IT IS!"

Artana rocketed herself into the air with a pillar of earth and bent sand she'd apparently hidden out of the back of the truck, narrowly dodging another bolt of lightning and blast of air. The sand circled around her like water and she flung glass at a staggering rate, missing Mako and Opal by inches as the pieces shattered on the ground.

Bolin retaliated with a geyser of lava, shooting straight up at Artana. She compressed the sand around her into stone and used it as leverage to dive towards the ground, landing beside Bolin with a rolling quake, shattering the rock below. He was knocked off of his feet, but flipped backward, dodging a large metal blade and slinging disks of lava at her.

Artana's psychically bent metal protected her, deflecting the disks into the air and blocking a combined stream of air and fire. She raised a wall of earth two stories high with a flick of her wrist and sent it hurtling toward Mako and Opal, forcing them to roll out of the way, right into the line of fire of another flurry of glass. Their armor protected them from most of the damage, but Asami could see Opal get hit in the hip and Mako in the shoulder.

She refocused her efforts on Bolin, no doubt attempting to end her only perceived threat. But Bolin wasn't stupid. He drew her back to the tree, bending a torrent of earth and lava at her, over and over again; but there was always more earth for her to bend, for her to avoid his lava.

If he turned the entire area into lava...they really didn't want to think of what that would do to the tree.

Finally, Bolin made it the base of the tree and created a fissure before him just as Mako filled her entire right flank with fire. So she rolled left, scooped up several boulders, and got hit square in the face by a gale of air as Opal swooped down from the tree, strong enough to smash through her defenses.

Artana was knocked backwards, and grabbed Opal out of the sky with a ring of sand, which she must have been scattering through the air as the fight went on, but just before she could be slammed into the ground, Bolin bent a half a mountain of earth into Artana's face, forcing her further back. Mako released his energy, shooting out a massive streak of blue that Artana could only block with her full attention.

She raised a large wall of metal, dispersing the electricity, and stones began circling her like a storm. But before that even had a chance of happening, Asami turned on the electromagnet.

The Satohawk's generator roared to life and the metal in front of Artana slammed straight into her. She dug herself into the ground, barely able to bend the metal plate away from her. Little bits of metal scattered across the battlefield were drawn in, peppering her body and the base of magnet. Artana clawed desperately at the earth, for something to keep her from flying back, but the pull was stronger. Strong enough to lift a freight truck. Her right arm failed her first, torn out of the ground like a rotten stump. And she held herself there, floating violently.

Asami leaped down from the tree and kept her distance from the magnet. But she watched Artana's desperation. Her fear. The blood on her hand making it harder to hold on that much more. Her eyes shaking and filled with disdain.

"You failed," she said, her voice cutting deep. " _You_ don't matter."

With that, Artana flew backwards into the magnet, the impact cracking her helmet and pinning her limbs wide to the metal belly of the Satohawk. Blood poured down her face as she struggled like a rabid wolf, jerking her body in every direction to break free.

"It doesn't matter! None of this does!" yelled Artana. "You still lose, the worlds are still destroyed! I don't care how bright that fucking tree glows! My death means _nothing_!"

"Good." Mako stood directly in front of her, though decently far away, and began to generate lightning. "That'll make this much easier for me to stomach." Arcs of blue circled him, and she couldn't fault him for putting everything into it. It was better to overdo it than leave things to chance.

But, just before he ended her, Asami noticed something strange. Artana had stopped moving. Her breathing was calm. Even those who've accepted death still have _some_ primal instinct to-

Asami yelped as a stone vice was clamped around her waist, hurling her straight into Mako's line of fire. Her eyes met his, and blue light blinded her as he struck her, point blank, in the chest. She couldn't breathe as she went flying back towards the northern portal, rolling to a painful stop at the edge of the truck. Electricity arced around her and she focused. Focused to breath.

To not lose control again. To not give in to her rage. To _stay calm_ through the pain. Voices were muffled. So far away, but there was cackling too. Screaming, cursing, shifting burning spasms.

Asami coughed and started to breath again. She slowly got to her feet, dazed, and stumbled towards Mako, who was sprinting towards her. He helped her steady herself, and Asami could only make out every third word being spoken. She nodded, assuming he was asking if she was okay. She was. Probably. It felt like a bomb had gone off in her face combined with Naga headbutting her in the stomach. At full speed.

The ringing stopped and it all came flowing back.

She covered her face as she noticed the impenetrable sandstorm raging around the Satohawk, tearing the ground in front of them. She heard the platinum-lined armor start to give and then giant stone spikes burst through the top of the hull.

Artana fell forward, released. "...and _there's_ the power lines! Really, Asami, you couldn't have diverged from your original design more? That's just subpar work." She rose to her feet and the sandstorm began to wobble. "...you think..." Stones, one by one, fell out of the sky, flying out in every direction and smashing into the ground. "I'm done…?" Her arms appeared to seize up entirely as she tried to bend, and she dropped to one knee, the tempest going down with her.

The storm vanished as it turned to pebbles pattering to the ground. No glass. No sand. Just Artana, slumped over and flop sweat pouring down her face. She tore off her helmet and struggled to breath. She mouthed every curse, every word of hate, but only sunk lower into the ground.

Asami patted Mako on the back. "Let me. Just in case." She walked over to Artana, drew her blade, and grabbed her by the hair. And she looked up at her, her expression sour. Weak. "You've got nothing left."

"And _you've_ got a concussion if you fell for this twice."

Asami realized that both were true.

 

* * *

 

Artana jumpstarted the sandstorm again, ripping the ground to shreds and sending Asami flipping end over end into the hollow of the tree. She'd been hoping Bolin would be the one approach her, so she could remove him, being the only real threat, but it didn't matter. They'd all be dead soon.

The tempest raged, burying the Satohawk entirely, and denying any attack entry. Lightning exploded harmlessly off of metal spinning around her at range. Lava cooled the second it passed through the whirlwind, and the only thing they could do was tear the metal pins off of their upper arms. Which was-

A burst of air broke through. Artana earthbent herself out of the way and launched a rolling cascade, shredding the ground to pieces, only for it to turn to lava. The entire storm began to melt around her, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She gathered what was left of the earth, the whirlwind of rock, and pulled it close to her before they could do more. Half of her material was blown away by a literal whirlwind.

So she defaulted.

Artana bent the rest of the sand around her and unleashed it at the three still standing. If she couldn't kill them with stone, she would do it with sand. Shear bone in half like she did metal. Platinum or otherwise. But she was being pushed back. Air, fire, and the lava rapidly surrounding her. Her boots dug into the ground and she focused. Focused on the metal, the earth around her. How she didn't need to move, how it would just _do_ what she needed it to.

How she had waited, and how she had listened.

Opal fell first. The truck came screeching toward them, taking her focus off of the sandblast. She tried to split her energy, to deflect it, and she did, but Artana used that opportunity to slice into her side with jagged metal. Bolin managed to erect another wall of stone, which rapidly crumbled away, no matter how much or how many times he reinforced it. He screamed something about Opal to Mako, who, for taking his eyes off of her got a block of metal slammed into his head, knocking him out against the tree, pinning him as well.

Bolin roared with newfound energy and charged forward with his stone wall, which overpowered her stream of sand as it melted everything that came its way like a force of nature. Her eyes widened in surprise. But, just as lava was about to melt her head, she burrowed underground, resurfaced behind him and smashed his face against the side of the truck. He slumped over.

Artana took a second to catch her breath and surveyed the damage, burying the bubbling lava deep below the surface, suffocating it. They'd been using booster suits, no doubt about that. New ones. Better ones. The kind that probably wouldn't kill them. That was fine. Everything was fine.

Just one more to go.

Artana climbed up to the tree and, not being an idiot who strikes first, deflected both of Asami's blades with metal plates before they even had a chance to touch her. She leaped forward, disarmed her of one sword as she struck out again, twisting her wrist and snatching it midair by the hilt. And then she did it a second time, acquiring both. Asami whipped an electrified bola at her, so she cut it to ribbons. She kicked Asami into the wall of the tree, and spotted something interesting.

Asami was yelling, filled with rage, but the words weren't registering. Perhaps the blow to her head had done that. But, more importantly, she was tearing off the metal pin from _her_ suit. Well, that did something, and Artana couldn't have that. Before her arm could reach the second, Artana stabbed both blades through her shoulders, and into the tree. Asami screamed in pain, and _that_ she could hear.

Artana leaned forward and drove the blades in deeper, getting another agonizing noise from Asami's throat. "I know what you're thinking," she said. "You're going to wait until I'm close enough and then electrocute my face." Asami didn't respond. Probably too much pain, so she stopped pushing. "But, you probably forgot that I know just as much about these fan-blades as you do, as I helped produce _this_ very set. So I know how much pressure it takes to expand them into fans, and what that would do to you right now."

Asami's eyes could not have been wider. She looked away, towards Korra, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I love you---" She screamed silently as Artana twisted the blades. And then audibly once she stopped.

"But I won't do that. I'm won't make you watch me kill her either, because this whole attempt was _so close,_ and you've already lost enough," she said, frowning. "It's disappointing, really. You were nearly there, but you stumbled in the end. As did the rest of humanity," she scoffed. "You're terrified, yet you want to survive. You feel guilt for all of this, but you still want to be happy, despite your shame in all the death you've had your hands in. And still, your collective willpower wasn't enough to do me in. Maybe you didn't love her enough. Maybe you didn't grieve for your father enough. Maybe it was all the lies you kept feeding yourself that we were all worth something." Artana set her jaw. "Worth saving," she growled. "Naive. Childish. For a moment, I thought you could see through that well-painted illusion; that you could have enough wisdom from your pain to know what was right and what was necessary. You may not, but _I do_. I gave you a chance to prove me wrong and you _squandered it._ " Artana scowled. _"_ And I also know about the secondary power source in the hilt," she said, wiggling her fingers. "Just in case your battery ever runs out."

"Wait, no, please don't---"

Artana flipped both switches and watched as lightning traveled through the blades and in through Asami's wounds, electrocuting her, once again making her scream. The sound was getting painful to hear all the more, so she cut the power once she slumped over. Dead.

Or unconscious. Didn't matter.

Artana rose to her feet and took a long look at Korra, and then at the tree itself. "Know that this victory is symbolic, of little meaning, and not one of skill or ability." Artana checked her watch. It was broken. She conjured a large shard of glass in above her palm and aimed it at Korra's head. "For a moment, I had hoped that they'd manage to kill me. But they didn't. They failed, and thus, so did humanity---"

She heard glass cut through the air and instinctively spun around to deflect the flurry. It sliced into the edge of her cheeks and she bit down, swallowing the pain. And then Artana saw the perpetrator.

She was standing on top of the collapsed truck at the center of shrapnel and suspended shards. The chaotic storm of glass had been ordered into strained orbits, wheeling through the air in concentric circles under the control of the woman who commanded them with a lethal grace.

Kuvira was standing on the truck, bending the glass itself. No tricks. No sand.

Just glass.

 

* * *

 

Asami was floating in black. The pain was gone. Everything was gone. _Everyone_ was gone. She tried to cry but couldn't. She opened her eyes, but there was only more darkness. All of that planning, all of that effort, and suffering, and sleepless nights and crippling rage, desperation.

All for nothing.

She'd failed. She had one thing to protect, one job to do, and she couldn't even do that. Who was she trying to fool? She couldn't stand up to someone like Artana. No matter what she created or how much she prepared, she could never measure up. Never beat herself.

 _Maybe_ if she'd been a bender---

"We both know that's not true."

Asami froze at the sound of the voice. She was dead, or dying, so she shouldn't indulge. She shouldn't even acknowledge that she'd _heard_ it. But she was dead. Or dying. So it didn't really matter.

She turned around.

"Dad?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neat how all that stuff you thought was fluff from the early chapters turned out to be like the literal opposite of fluff, huh? Like Raava actually SHOWING UP?! I will fully admit I thought that was a dropped thread (from all the way back in Ch3, jfc) I couldn't find a place for until that scene where I realized that it's far more interesting and believable that Raava's the one who raises a spirit army. She has learned quite a bit over the past 10,000 years. Coulda made that Korrasami scene more 'sexy', but ended up choosing not to. Didn't feel right.
> 
> [Bonus points to anyone who caught the "Total Recall" reference XD](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0DEyvqYZKc)
> 
> I'm not sorry about Artana faking you out about Asami being dead. I wrote that on accident and then laughed so hard I kept it. Korra can lightning bend, yes, and for those who recall way back in Ch12 when she had that drunken 'argument' with Mako (he was just teasing in good fun and it rubbed her the wrong way a bit) they were talking about when they were still dating. She figured it out sometime after 4x09, but...it's not like she ever had a reason to use it before this. I mean, to be perfectly frank, I was channeling a bit of that one shot from the Avengers where Thor lands on the fucking Quinjet, and the idea here is to remind you that Artana's a giant piece of shit compared to Korra. Similar reason as to why Asami gets curbstomped by Artana so fast: She's just no match for the 'final boss' types. Never has been. Fun thing about the EE navy: thejmpr had the brilliant idea that they were so inexperienced that they didn't really know how to run a ship correctly, so they get orders wrong or talk to the wrong people. Mess up the chain of command. That's why that whole naval scene is screwy. 
> 
> Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the EE Navy was firing conventional shells at the ice wall. I talked about this a lot with thejmpr, and we couldn't find a good reason as to why this technology wouldn't exist in Avatar. They already have plastic explosives, gunpowder bombs, 'basic' rockets (Varrick has a rocket boat, Tenzin mentions a 'rocket booster' in the same episode, 2x01) and torpedoes (launched from planes!), so they're bound to have regular naval cannons. It's still not a firearm, but it's closer to it. Lemme know what you guys think about this one, I'm curious.
> 
> If you're wondering why there's such a big time jump in 'hours remaining' in some scenes...it's because people sleep. And it takes time to get your gear, do preflight checks, eat, repair airplanes, refuel, launch landing craft, establish FOBs, etc. And nothing happened worth reading about. I mean it was honestly 18 (already established that the regular Satohawk can make a 9-hour round trip flight on one 'tank' of fuel in Ch10/11) hours in that Satohawk, with Korra literally screaming directions (LMAO) and people taking naps...and talking. I mean, it's a funny image, but ultimately kills the tension (even if it's pretty easy to tell that they'll have to fight the EE air force), and undercuts the awesomeness of Korra breaking Yangchen's previous 12 Hour record of "Longest Use Of Avatar State" with just over 18 Hours. Granted she wasn't fighting the entire time, but she was sewing two worlds back together.
> 
> Additionally, the following scenes were cut (or I just didn't write them) because they broke the pacing and/or made this chapter even LONGER:  
> 1\. Raiko laments that his door is now literally a portal to another plane of existence  
> 2\. Artana repels NWT boarding parties. It ruined the momentum and honestly made her 3 vs 1 scene at the end so much more interesting if you don't see her fight for a while until that point  
> 3\. Asami actually getting more involved with the 3 v 1 Artana fight. Logistically didn't work (I knew it wouldn't) because she'd just get thrown around a lot or serve as bait, since, while she's fast, she wouldn't be able to 'dodge' through most of Artana's defenses. Also Mako, Bolin and Opal have a high chance of friendly fire if she's in the fray, so she gets guard duty.  
> 4\. Opal/Bolin being the ones struck by Mako's lightning. Since this is the second time Asami's gotten hit with that in this story, but it worked out better since it forced her to remember what happened the first time.  
> 5\. Iroh being a part of the Spirit Scene. Focus was too big on him and it's not like he'd be fighting.  
> 6\. Some gags with those 18 hours in the Satohawk  
> 7\. Scenes of people...not really being all that inconvenienced by the giant holes in the sky after the shock wears off.  
> 8\. Lots of other stuff! (SO MUCH OMG) 
> 
> Those last two moments, though. Yesssssssss. I'm so happy to have finally gotten to write them! :D
> 
> NEXT TIME - PART IV: REMAKE THE WORLDS, and the long awaited [Huey Lewis Maneuver](http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/118560065551/the-huey-lewis-maneuver)


	27. Spirit Breach, Part IV: Remake the Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You don't need money, don't take fame. Don't need no credit card to ride this train. It's strong and it's sudden, and it's cruel sometimes; But it might just save your life.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK0z87WrhGo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by thejmpr, and technical editing by beech27
> 
> I could literally call this chapter "The Huey Lewis Maneuver" and it would still make sense.
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: What is referred to as 'platinum' in this universe is the equivalent to our titanium. Detailed explanation can be found[here.](http://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/160693349878/serious-lok-meta%20)**

_One Year, Two Weeks and Three Days after ~~Kuvira's Invasion~~ the death of Hiroshi Sato_

_Mid Autumn, 175 A.G._

“Dad?”

Asami stared at him in the darkness, as he was the only thing she could see, clear as day.  He appeared as he did, the day he...died.  The day he died.  Yes.   _Died._ He was wearing his old suit, taken in to accommodate the weight he’d lost.  She felt her heart ache, _actually ache,_ and a pool of red glowing water materialized beside her, floating, showing her own memory of Kuvira crushing the hummingbird.  

“Yes, sweetheart.  I’m here.”

Asami swallowed and envisioned a more perfect world.  Where she’d sprint over to him, hug him, the darkness would fade away and she’d wake up from this nightmare.  No vines.  No war profiteering.  No Artana.  She took a step forward but caught herself. “No.  You’re not.  You died,” she said, her voice cracking.  “No one comes back from the dead.” She tried to cry, but could not.

Hiroshi closed the distance between them, but she backed away before he could touch her. “If you need time to---”

“Dad, I am _bleeding out._ You’re not here.  You’re just…” A stabbing pain swept through her skull, starting at her forehead, and she winced.  The red pool grew brighter. “...a vision.  A hallucination.  You’re not real.”

“I’m real enough that you’re seeing me, Asami.  Hearing me, and listening to the words that I’m speaking.  Don’t you think that I’d have given anything to see your mother again like this?”

“No.” Asami shook her head and held out her palm.  “No, you don’t _get_ to bring mom into this.  I don’t care what you are, but her memory is not a tool for you to _twist_ and _defile_ for your own needs! Not anymore.”  The pool rippled, and she saw herself, hands bound behind her back in the airfield, glaring up at her father in defiance.

Hiroshi was silent for a few moments.  He looked away from her, as if he was seeing something in the infinite darkness.  “You’d much rather speak with her, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes! Of course I would! I can barely remember who she was as it is.”

“Then, if I were a hallucination, a vision created from within your own mind, wouldn’t she be here, instead of me?  Wouldn’t anyone else?”  He approached her again, and this time she didn’t back away.  “Why would your subconscious, when you’re already in unimaginable physical pain, force you to speak to me, _knowing_ that it would only hurt you more?”

“Because I feel the need to punish myself for failing.  For letting everyone down,” she said, biting back the pain that surged through lower body. “A thousand reasons!”

“I’m not the person who would shame you for that, Asami.  If it were anyone---”

“Don’t say her name.” The red shifted, showing her and Korra atop the cliff, the waterskin held close to her chest. “Don’t you dare say her name.” Her heart pounded in time with the writhing of her stomach.  “I don’t even want to hear the _inflexion_ you’d---he’d use.”

“Then I won’t.” Hiroshi considered her for a moment.  “I’m still here, Asami.  There must be some reason for that.”  The pool grew larger and rippled, revealing the endless expanse of the Si Wong Desert.  And Korra looking at the Asami that was not truly there with fear.  Desperation.  Shame.  “It’s the end of everything.  Everything the both of us have worked toward, and instead of working to _fix_ the problem, you’re debating whether or not I exist.”

“You don’t get it.  You _can’t_ be here.  Because if you are...” Asami balled her hands into fists and struggled to stay upright as she felt solid concrete lodge itself within the base of her spine. “Because the second that I indulge myself in this fantasy, I’m going to ask you questions, and I will _immediately_ regret it.  I want to go to my grave, never knowing.  How you felt.  What you might have thought about how I turned out, and what I did.  Who loves me, who I chose to love.  All of that.  Even if you were my father, by some miracle---I can’t.  I know what you’d say.  What he’d say, all but certain.”  Her heart began palpitating, skipping every third beat. All of the pain was mounting, as if her body was shutting itself down, piece by piece. “And it’s that tiny ray of hope, that almost meaningless ‘maybe’ that lets me remember him as he was.  Not what he became.  It’s what lets me forgive him.  Love him.  Grieve.”

“What are we if not our memories…” he mumbled. Hiroshi sighed and took off his glasses, pocketing them into his jacket.  “Fine.  I’m not here.  If that’s what you need me to say, then I will.”

“But you are.  You’re still here.”

“Yes, it’s a rather curious paradox, isn’t it?  I’m here, but that’s impossible.  You’re fighting yourself, and at the same time, you’re not.”

Asami stared blankly at him, and the crown of her head felt numb. “What?” She was bleeding out in the tree.  Hallucinating.  And the best she could do was a cryptic version of her father that wasn’t even trying to fake it.  She’d laugh if she still wasn’t trying to cry.  “Yes, I am.  Artana’s me.  A smarter, faster, stronger and more lethal version of me.  I would have thought, of all people, even a _false_ version of you could see that.”

“Glass is not a mirror, Asami.  You are not reflections of one another.”  

“Yes, we are---” Asami felt her throat start to close and took a labored breath.  She grasped at her neck and fell to her knees.  “What---what is happening to me?”

Hiroshi bent down to meet her eyes, and his were pained. “You’re dying, but you can stop it.  Stop all of this.  Stop Artana.  End this nightmare.”

The red pool split in two, playing more memories, one after the other, faster than she remembered.  Her first time in the tree, which seemed so long ago.  Her mother’s skin.  Iroh. It split again, and again, until she and her father were surrounded by bright, flowing red. Her deal with the Triple Threats, with Varrick, the launch of the dirigible, presenting Tenzin with the wingsuits, driving around the city, flying toward the southern portal, late night conversations, her office outburst.  Loud mornings at the office, quiet afternoons at home, hour after hour in her workshop, elation at the test track.

All of it.  All of her.

“How?” she managed to choke out.  

“You already know how, Asami.  You just need to focus.  Why am I here?  Work through the problem, step by step.”

Asami couldn’t breath.  She could barely think.  The only thing that entered her mind was the obvious: her father was there because she couldn’t let him go.  He was holding her back from her own closure.  She had forgiven him, but she hadn’t fully accepted his death.  On the surface, yes.

But not where it mattered.

Her throat opened and Asami inhaled frantically, relieving the burning in her lungs.  “No matter how many times I say you’re dead, that you’re gone, you won’t leave,” she whispered.  “Because a part of me still refuses to believe that it’s true.”

“Yes.  You’ve forgiven me for what I’ve done, because you needed to.”  He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed.  “Now, you need to _let me go_.  Not just for you, but for everyone else. You have to let me die.  You have to move forward, and the only way to do that is to leave me behind.”

Asami bit her lip. “And what if I can’t, Dad?”

Hiroshi gestured to one of the red pools, which expanded in size.  Artana, at the lip of the tree with deep gouges along her cheek, and Kuvira, standing resolute atop the overturned truck, glass and metal surrounding her, faced one another.

“Then we leave things to chance.”

Asami’s eyes widened.  Kuvira.  She came back.  “No.  No, she’ll win.  Artana’s tired, and Kuvira’s still fresh.”

“That’s true, but you’re forgetting one very important detail.”

Asami struggled to her feet, her body still in searing pain, using her father as leverage.  “Which is?”

“A cornered wolf is more dangerous than a badgermole.”

 

* * *

 

Artana dove towards Asami’s body and pressed her boot against her chest, pulling out both blades.  She stole her helmet as well, finding that it was a mostly perfect fit. She had no idea how Kuvira had managed to surpass her like that.  To bend glass, truly, but it didn’t matter.  The yellow glow from the tree may still be growing, and Korra’s aura shifting to blue, hundreds of tiny strands flowing into her arms, back and hands, but none of it mattered.  Asami’s body slumped forward, still bleeding, and Artana’s heart skipped a beat as she felt a strong metal whip wrap around her ankle.  

She was yanked out of the tree, dropping one of the fan-blades in the confusion, and sliced through the cable before she could lose more ground.  Artana slid down the trunk and deflected a volley of glass with her fan.  Kuvira leaped off of the truck and flicked metal razors at her head, missing her by inches.

The tears in the barrier were widening.  Multiplying.  She felt the humidity of the swamp, smelled a snowstorm and heard the loud industrial noises of a factory, and sand poured in from the desert, just as a few others did.

“So you finally found me, Kuvira!” yelled Artana, ripping the truck into thousands of metal shards and bending them at Kuvira.  “How long has it been since Ba Sing Se?! Four years? Five?”  Kuvira spun and swept the metal around her, redirecting it back at Artana with twice as much force.  She launched herself out of harm’s way as jagged steel drilled into the bark of the tree.

“And _still_ missing your mark!  If you---” She pulled her head back as a giant blade of glass hissed by her neck, and stumbled backward straight into another piece, which she only narrowly managed to deflect with a metal plate.  It shattered and Artana covered her eyes, instinctively restarting the sandstorm.  “Even now, you can’t even get close!”

Dirt, sand, metal and rubble surged around her in a whirlwind, stopping Kuvira’s advance.  She grounded herself and marched forward, slowly.  “You slaughtered my friends,” she said, her voice edging on a growl.  “Soldiers I’d grown with, trained with.  You made that city a living nightmare for me and everyone else!”

Artana brushed off the glass as best she could and intensified the storm, drawing stone from as far around as she could muster.  Yet Kuvira kept getting closer, as everything she bent at her was instantly deflected back into the whirlwind.  The metal pins on her suit were gone, which only made her more dangerous. “And that makes this personal to you, doesn’t it? The indomitable Kuvira, the _great uniter,_ motivated by something so petty as revenge!”  She swept up the sand unleashed a brutal, unending stream at Kuvira.  What had worked with her comrades would surely end her as well.  “How far you’ve fallen.”

Kuvira pushed forward and casually held out her palm, blocking the sand from getting even two feet from her and scattering it constantly away from her.  “I spent years believing I had ended the horrors you and your compatriots had wrought.  That I had hunted down and executed every last one of you, only to learn that _you_ were the one that got away.  Slipped through the cracks of the very walls I was strengthening!” The more power energy Artana forced into her sandblast, the larger Kuvira’s safezone grew.  And she just kept marching forward, digging her boots out of the ground and increasing her pace.  Walking, no longer dragging her feet.  “I will not make the same mistake twice.”

Artana breathed heavier and backed away, collapsing her fan into a blade.  Good, she was focused on her.  Concentrating entirely on the sand in front of her.  Artana narrowed her eyes and---

Kuvira swept out her arm, bending a metal sword extending from her cuff, and charged forward, breaking through the storm like it was nothing.  Artana blocked it with her own blade just before it sliced open her neck, the steel ringing against platinum echoing out.  She started to panic as the blades scratched against one another, sparking.  She electrified the blade, hoping for a dented piece of metal to allow the current to travel through Kuvira’s armor, but the lightning surged over her, harmlessly.  

“This is for the fallen.” Kuvira slashed at her legs with her cables, and she fell to the ground, just barely deflecting another strike of her blade, at the cost of being disarmed.  The sword went wide but still cut through her armor, leaving a long but shallow gash along her chest and arm.  “For the innocents you burned to distract.”

Artana reacted solely on instinct, concentrating the storm into a single attack.  She bent enormous glass, metal and stone shards, the warped light of the torn sun glinting from one to the other, into shape high above them in a dome, all aimed at the epicenter.  Them.  Kuvira took the bait, taking her attention away for only a moment, and Artana slid out from beneath her, circled around to her back.

As she bent the metal around her into a proper sword, she saw Kuvira, with some effort, neutralize the falling earth by hurling it off into the distance.  Then, mere inches from cutting into her back, Kuvira spun and deflected her strike, grabbing the back of her head and smashing it down into her knee, breaking her nose.  “For every soldier who died a meaningless death today!” said Kuvira. Artana stumbled backward, blood pouring down her lips, her head swimming, and blocked a flurry of sword strikes with metal panels, each one weaker than the last.  

“For the madness you unleashed!” Kuvira commandeered her panels and thrust them forward, denting her armor and sending her flying back towards a large rock wall, a remnant of her previous battle.  Artana rolled into the stone and found herself pinned to it by metal cuffs that dug into her, surgically drilling through her defenses and into her flesh.

That time, it was no ploy.  Artana was pinned and suffocating. She reached out to the earth as Kuvira advanced on her, sprinting forward with the nearly blinding tree at her back, now wielding Asami’s fan-blade.  Nothing would slow her down; she’d simply cut or bend her way through everything she’d throw at her faster than she could prepare another strike.  But then she felt...an absence.  No, not quite that.  Something.  Blindness.

And Kuvira was moving right on top of it.

Artana lurched forward with what little mobility she had and the ground quaked from the tons of displaced earth she was bending.  She roared, and raised the fallen Satohawk out of the ground at a staggering rate, the platinum shell erupting just below Kuvira’s boots, scattering dust and dirt in every direction, obscuring her vision.

The dusty air stopped moving and suddenly cleared with a careful curl of Kuvira’s free arm and a clenching of her fist.  She was unharmed.  She’d managed to avoid it, something she couldn’t have sensed or seen coming.  Artana took a small breath and focused again.  On the Satohawk.  The designs, the inner workings, the moving parts, until she found what she was looking for.

Artana pulled on the ejection tab and held her breath as the rotor exploded into platinum shrapnel only a few feet from Kuvira.  She rolled forward, protecting herself with a wall of earth and took off in a sprint, and right onto her mark.  The explosive bolts on the shattered canopy blew, launching the cockpit frame towards Kuvira.  She just barely managed to cut her way through the center, pivoting and slicing as she ducked through the opening, as it passed around her harmlessly.

Only for the pilot’s seat to smash head first into her spine.  Kuvira yelped in pain, and some of the impact was absorbed the parachute that burst open at her back, point blank, knocking her forward to the lip of the northern portal.  Before she hit the ground she whipped Asami’s fan-blade toward Artana.  It cut through the air and stabbed itself into the stone, just beside her head.  She met Kuvira’s hazy eyes as she reached out, tightening the metal bindings around Artana’s neck agonizingly slowly as she slumped over and finally, collapsed.

Dead.  Unconscious.  Out of the fight.

Artana choked and coughed as she barely managed to remove her bindings, the muscles in her arms burning.  She breathed heavily and rubbed her neck, clenching her teeth through the pain as her wounds became more apparent.  Nothing life threatening, not yet.  But she was slower, tired. Kuvira had seen to that, and once again had come _so close._ She carefully got to her feet and pulled Asami’s blade out of the rock, swinging it to test for damage.  All but untouched.  She looked up at the tree and checked her watch.

It was broken.

Artana sighed and made her way back to the trunk and began climbing up into the hollow.  Slowly, gently, so as not to lose her footing.  She pulled herself inside and took a hard look at Korra.  Her aura was blue, with Raava’s markings burned into her chest and abdomen, heat rising from her back.  She was strained, her face showed it, and what muscles she could see were tensing and struggling to continue her efforts.  

She stepped forward and was taken aback as Korra rose to one knee, splaying out her arms as if chains made of pure energy were pulling them behind her to the back of the tree.  Her face contorted in rage and...nothing happened.  Artana raised a brow and attempted to flick a metal strip on to her mouth, lest she try to breath fire or air, only for it to be deflected by a flash of yellow light.  She tried again, to the same result, but that time she looked closer.

Korra’s barrier was a sphere around her, most likely made of the spiritual energy surrounding her.  A last ditch effort to buy time.  She frowned and flourished Asami’s blade.  If anything were to get through it, it’d be platinum.  Or enough force.  Either one. She---

The inside of the tree hummed and memories began playing all around her.  Nothing new, and obviously yet another effort to distract her so that...they… “Nilani,” whispered Artana. She didn’t even realize she was crying until the tears mixed with her blood and trickled down her chin.  

Above her, around her, everything showed their time together.  Hours upon hours watching her carve masterpieces unmatched.  Late night discussions of the future, how they’d stay out of the Dai Li’s sights, the creativity and lively energy she’d imbue with the mundane of their routine, meeting her mother, meeting her own parents, arguments and debates that lasted till morning.

“It may seem wrong to say, but…” She sniffed as she saw herself tearing apart their block as the fires spread through the lower ring, digging through scorched stone and ash.  “You have no idea how relieved I am that you didn’t live to see this.”

 

* * *

 

Asami watched helplessly, eyes wide with fear, as Kuvira went down.  As Artana began to ascend the stone and into the hollow of the three.  Her body tensed, and she felt everything within her tighten to the point of snapping.  “I need to wake up!  I need to stall her, if even for a moment!”

“Then you have to let me go, Asami,” said Hiroshi.  The rest of the memories vanished, and the red pool of energy expanded, showing only Artana. “Focus on the pain.  Where it is, where it’s coming from.  Where you’ve felt it before.”

Asami took a haggard breath and turned her attention inward. The small of her back spasmed, her lower body burned, her stomach writhed, her heart was gripped in a vice, her throat was clear, her forehead throbbed and the crown of her head was numb as if it were not there at all.  Blocked.  The twisting in her belly, the fire, that was most familiar.  But none of them felt like injuries, at least not physical ones.  And if they weren’t physical then---

Another memory played beside the larger pool.  Flashes of medical texts and research notes flew by.  The suit.  The flow of chi in the human body perfectly aligned with the rest of their anatomy.  And then it just clicked.  Chakras.  Hers were blocked.

“My throat---it opened when I said…” Asami raised her brows.  “That I couldn’t let you go, and it _closed_ when I refused to believe that Artana _wasn’t_ me, which means…” A deep chill ran down her back.  “She’s not me.  She’s never been me if I’d walked a different path.  She’s…” Asami felt her headache subside, if only a little.  “You.  She can’t be me, because a dark reflection of _me_ is already you.”

Hiroshi smiled. “You cannot win against yourself, since you’ve been fighting the wrong battle from the beginning.”  

“You really think this will change things out there?”

“You’ve already beaten me once before.”

“But we were on equal footing back then!  I’m nowhere near as capable as Artana!”

“Then you _rise to her level._ ”

Asami opened her mouth to counter, but closed it.  Rise to her level. It was impossible. She wasn’t a bender.  She wasn’t the Avatar.  

But she was still human.  She had a spirit.  She had a body. She was alive. She couldn’t connect to the ‘cosmic energy of the universe’, but if everything was connected, then at some level she already was, because she was a part of the universe---

It was a paradox.

Asami’s headache faded to a dull throb, her mind racing forward.  Six chakra, almost.  She _could_ connect to the energy within herself.  She couldn’t bend it, but she could allow it to flow freely if she _let him go._ Asami took a deep breath. The base of her spine, lower body, stomach and throat stopped assaulting her.  First. Second. Third. Fifth.  “If everything is connected, and separation is merely an illusion---”

Hiroshi started to glow red, his voice and body warping into her own.  “---then you can cheat.  Use the sixth to access the seventh.  Use the suit to force your way through.  The perfect combination---”

“---of the physical---”

“---and spiritual.”

Asami smiled sadly.  It was time.  She hugged what was left of him.  “Goodbye.” Her heart relaxed, finally, her grief making way for love, and she felt his body shift around her.  Four.  She pulled back and found that she was staring into her own eyes.  The other her was flickering red, the same as her father had been.

Asami furrowed her brow.  She had no idea what this was going to do, but at the very least it would slow her down.  Artana thinks she can account for one unquantifiable variable? What about _two?_  Asami’s headache vanished and her doppelganger stopped flickering, turning into a solid, deep red.  

Sixth.

“Remember to breath,” said her double.

She fused with her and Asami felt newfound energy flow through her, followed by the same red aura.  Asami looked at the red pool, at Artana hammering away at the slowly cracking spirit barrier that Korra had erected, and inhaled, her heart surging with power.  Beating louder and louder, stronger and stronger, until the light blinded her.

And then, she opened her eyes.

 

* * *

 

Artana threw her entire body into every strike of the blade, not allowing Korra’s barrier to vanish between hits.  No matter how strong she was, her body was still human.  She had a breaking point, and judging by the growing cracks in the spherical shield, she was nearing it by the second.   She thought she saw something red out of the corner of her eye, but wiped away the blood, which didn’t work because there was just more blood.  Whatever.   

Didn’t matter.  Nothing did.  Few more seconds.

Finally, the barrier shattered, leaving Korra defenseless.  She raised her arms and unceremoniously swung at her head---

The sound of metal hitting metal rang out and Artana looked up as she found her grip wavering, and her stance loosening.  Asami glared at her with eyes ablaze, holding the sword she’d dropped at her feet, blocking her final blow and pushing forward with rage so thick she could feel it.  Her wounds were glowing, somehow rapidly healing themselves. Which was completely and utterly impossible.

Artana’s mouth fell open a little and her eyes widened in abject confusion.  Baffled.  Shocked to the point of being momentarily stunned.  “How…”

Asami’s entire body flickered with red flames, and she growled, biting down into her upper arm and tearing out second pin with her teeth.  An impossible red aura surrounded her, giving her an almost inhuman appearance and glow.  She roared, pulled back her fist, lightning arcing off of her palm, and smashed it into Artana’s neck.  Her metal defenses kicked in automatically, blocking the strike.  

At first.

Wind whipped through the air from the force of impact and the steel dented, sending Artana hurtling out of the tree, end over end until she caught herself just before hitting the ground, bending the earth to slide with her for a controlled landing. She looked up at the tree, at Asami standing at the lip of it, still burning brightly, sword in hand.

And Artana had not planned for that.

 

* * *

 

Asami’s heart pounded in her chest, sending power she could barely contain surging through her body.  Her arm shook as she tried to steady her breathing, feeling more alert and energized than she had in her entire life, as her fire coursed through her as if she were going to burst.  She felt overwhelmed; every sensation, from pain to elation, rushed through her to the point of near overstimulation.  She needed time to adjust that she simply didn’t have, but still, she could take solace in one simple fact.  The one thing she could focus on.

She had hit Artana.  She had _pushed her back._ So she could do it again.  And again, and again; as many times and as long as Korra needed her to, she could. She  _would._ At that thought, her breath began to stabilize, and so did the rest of her.  Not entirely, but enough to stay in control.

Which was all that she needed.

Asami focused and glared down at Artana, who was still recovering from the shock.  She steadied her blade and her eyes flicked around the destroyed battlefield, noting the tears in the barrier and little else.  She turned back to Artana---she was gone.

She held her breath, and her energy almost instantly vanished, the extreme shift nearly blacking her out as she fell to her knee, unbearably dizzy and feeling as though she might vomit.  Breathe.  Remember to breathe.   _BREATHE._  Asami squeezed the hilt of her blade and grunted, her fire slipping away from her each time she neared it like something on the edge of her memory; always there but not, all the same.

Artana exploded out of the ground at the base of the tree, metal, earth and glass circling around her and kicked out in mid-air just as she reached the peak of her jump, bending it all not at Asami, but through her.  At Korra.  

Asami reached out in her mind and took the fire back, just needing that final push, reigniting not a moment too soon and sliced, deflected and blocked everything, moving faster than she knew she could.  A few bits of shrapnel got by her and fell to the floor of the hollow, and Artana rolled, conjuring a platform of stone behind her to propel herself back into the opening.  

But Asami had seen that before, so she countered, boosting above to meet her halfway and spun, slashing downward.  Artana frantically blocked her strike with her stolen edge, sparks flying as the electrified blades slid against one another, and lost the struggle, forced back to the rocks below. Artana landed and flipped backwards, dragging the earth with her and bent a trident of stone out of the ground, catching Asami head on.

The wind was knocked out of her, and she was sapped of her strength for a moment before regaining control.  She would _not_ waste this chance.  Asami pulled herself up, red aura enveloping her once again, and over the sharpened rock pillar just before it smashed into the bark and boosted down the angled stone, sliding between volleys of glass and metal.  She leaped forward towards Artana, and swung her blade down, missing her head by a hair, but cutting deep into the ground, bits of rock scattering around them.

Before she could do anything else, Asami was assaulted on all sides by a barrage of stone spikes and pillars erupting out of the ground like ravenous weeds, each one shattering as they hit her. She tried to boost forward but her leg got caught in the stone, forcing her to stumble long enough for Artana to wrap her in metal cables, constricting her arms, chest, and slowly her airway. She began flickering red wildly, breath more short by the second and forced herself to let the pain wash over her.

“You bought yourself two minutes.” Artana held her there, stance steady and studied her closely.  “I don’t care what this is, but breath is clearly a major factor.  Again, disappointing.”  She squeezed tighter.  “No more surprises.”

Asami focused on her stomach.  Her diaphragm, her lungs, her _breath,_ and felt the energy spark within her.  She fed it, fueled it, breathing as much as she could and the flames grew larger.  Stronger.  Then, with one final push, she tore herself out of the metal wires, burning aura brighter than ever, and boosted forward and low, ducking underneath Artana’s blade and quickly disarming her, sending the weapon flying and stabbing into the ground.  She lunged forward, palm arcing with electricity at Artana’s unprotected face, only for her to reverse it and throw her over her shoulder.  

Asami landed to a rolling stop and grit her teeth.  Was she toying with her?  Tired?  Either way, she needed to get a hang of this, and fast.  Lure her out of the spirit world or, more likely, knock her through a tear.  “How’s that for a surprise?”

“Not much of one,” she said, rubble beginning to tremble and spin around her.  “Buying time works both ways.  Delays the inevitable for you, and allows _me_ to catch my breath.”  She moved to start the sandstorm but...Asami had seen _that_ too.  Several times.

And then it made sense.

Asami pushed off of the ground, taking off into an inhuman sprint and snatched her blade out of the rock, flourishing them both as lightning arced off of them.  She caught Artana off-guard and swung at her with a cross slash, only for her to barely block it with two hastily conjured blades of her own, cracking from the effort.  The storm raged around them and Asami bided her time, pushing forward and sending more lightening into her blades, fully aware it was nothing more than a fancy light show.

“I just figured you out,” she said, not even bothering to look up at what she knew was coming next.  “You’re not _built_ to go up against someone head on.  You just lean on the same old tricks, because you’ve got nowhere to fall back to.  That’s all you’ve _ever_ done.”

Artana scowled and her boots sunk further into the earth, imperfect swords cracking further from the pressure.  “Oh, how _intuitive_ of you to notice something everyone else already did.” Clearly, Asami was taking up her entire attention. Good. “We’re in the middle of what is effectively an open quarry.  There isn’t much else to do.”

Asami licked her lips and saw the tiny hint of shadow form above her.  Few more seconds to get this just right.  She kept her eyes on the storm, waiting for the perfect moment to--- _now._ “For you.” Asami expanded her blades into fans and launched Artana back and into her own storm, knocking her against the stone and metal and hurtling into the nearest tear.  Asami sprinted away from the center of the tempest as it fell apart and looked back to see spears of glass and metal pierce the very spot she’d been standing in.

Same old tricks.

Asami boosted and flipped through the tear, feeling her equilibrium shift as she passed between worlds, finding herself suddenly twenty feet in the air, a mass of baffled sailors looking away from something else toward her.  She flared out her fans to slow her descent and rolled as she hit the ground, cracking the wood.  She looked up at the crowd, eyes adjusting to the sunrise peeking out over the horizon.  

Earth Empire uniforms, aviator jackets, and a calm sea breeze.  An aircraft carrier.  And she had to admit it was _kind of_ nice to see that it appeared to be constructed correctly.

Asami rose to her feet and looked around, unable to spot Artana anywhere in the crowd.  The fact that she wasn’t being attacked instantly was odd, too.  She coughed, unable to adapt to the sudden change in air pressure so quickly, and her fire went out.  Though she wasn’t on the verge of blacking out anymore.  Now she was just tired.  “Did anyone see a woman about my height, my build, with brown hair and blood on her face?  Maybe saw her fly overboard?”

One of the sailors stepped forward, a younger woman, pale in the face.  “Yeah, we did.  She told us the next person to come out of that thing was part of the team that’s ripping the sky apart!”

Asami furrowed her brows.  “Yes, well, that’s _technically_ true, but I’m not a member of the Red Lotus.  I’m trying to stop this!”  Ridiculous tactic.  Why would she tell her own soldiers---

“That’s what she said you’d say!” yelled the woman, drawing a sword.  “KILL THE TRAITOR!”  

And then the entire crew of the flight deck charged at her.

Asami sheathed her blades and held out her palms.  “Wait, wait, I’m not here to hurt you!”  They didn’t listen.  Getting closer.  Around a hundred angry sailors wanting her head.  Asami turned around, pulling up her original schematics for the carrier and caught a glance of the tear moving further away from the ship, or rather the other way around.  “Damnit.”

They were going to force her below deck; it would be easier to corner her and overwhelm her that way.  Less room to maneuver.  And she couldn’t just leave through the tear, since Artana could commandeer the ship and fire through it.  

Asami shook her head and drew her blades, expanding them into fans.  Killing them would be faster.  Easier.  But then she’d be no better than the woman she was trying to stop.  She electrified her fans and took a deep breath, feeling the fire radiate out of her heart and stomach with a powerful glow.

She _really_ hoped none of them had a heart condition.

 

* * *

 

Baatar pulled off the access panel to the bomb at the edge of the train car, and shielded his eyes as purple light filled his vision.  Armed, though thankfully it wasn’t a large one.  Relatively. Just enough to destroy a cruiser.  “Disarming this would be more dangerous than controlled detonation,” he said, not looking over at the engineers behind him.  “Load this onto a truck and drop it ten miles out.”

One of the engineers cleared his throat.  “Sir, that’s not possible.  The only thing that could transport something that large is a train, or an enormous airship.”

Baatar raised a brow and turned around.  “What are you talking about?  It’s no bigger than a polar bear dog.”

“That’s not the whole bomb, sir.”

“...say again?”

“That’s just the generator car to start the reaction.  The rest of the vines are in the nine train cars behind it, and they’re all hard-wired together to prevent sabotage.”

Baatar’s eyes widened and he spun around to look down the length of the track, which had stopped being constructed quite recently, tools and metal beams strewn about  Sure enough, nine cars behind him.  He did some quick math in this head.  Roughly the amount left in the cache hidden in the facility they built the Colossus.  Perfect. “...do you people have any idea what this could do if it went off?”

They nodded grimly.

“So you’re aware that this would _literally crack a faultline?!_ ”  

They nodded again.

One of them spoke up.  “In all fairness, sir, there’s no evidence that the spirit world has faultlines, so there wasn’t any real danger until---”

Baatar felt like slamming his head against the wall.  “No. Listen to me very carefully.  Spirit weapons do not work in the spirit world.  If your orders were to detonate this in there then---who designed this?”

“Lieutenant Shieng, sir.”

Baatar frowned.  “...you already killed him, didn’t you?”

“Well, _we_ didn’t but---”

“Stop.” Baatar pinched the bridge of his nose and turned back around to face the massive bomb.  “Fine, here’s what we’re going to do.  I assume you didn’t burn the copies of his schematics, we’ll have to work backwards from there.  I have a feeling there are enough redundancies in here to make sure it goes off than should be possible.”  

It occurred to Baatar that the most probable purpose of the bomb itself was to distract Asami, rather than himself, keeping her occupied so she couldn’t help defend Korra.   But, he’d been working with vines longer than she had, so he was simply more qualified to save a continent.  

More or less.

 

* * *

 

Kuvira awoke slowly.  The excruciating throb in her spine made the process faster, and within a few seconds she was fully alert.  Lying on her side at the edge of the portal, facing the destroyed battlefield.  She wasn’t dead, which was good.

She struggled to get to her feet, unable to truly find her bearings, and fumbled with the latches on her chest armor, the large piece of metal falling to the floor in a dented heap.  Kuvira reached around her back and carefully pulled out several of the booster suit needles, and the shock from the loss of energy nearly made her blackout.  She fell on all fours and grunted, forcing herself back up to standing, despite the pain and exhaustion.

Kuvira could see the battered bodies of Mako, Bolin and Opal, but the fact that the tree was still glowing said Korra was still in there, doing what she could.  She couldn’t spot Asami or Artana, which meant they were up in the tree, most likely.  First, medical attention.  Second, debriefing.

She slowly made her way through the portal, the shift in temperature causing her to shiver, and dragged her feet over to her jeep, grabbing the radio.  “This is Kuvira speaking,” she said, keeping her voice level.  “I need an emergency medical response team at the Tree of Time.  Five severely injured, in possibly life-threatening condition.”

“ _Understood, Kuvira.  We’re dispatching a team.  They’ll arrive within the hour.”_

“Good.  Kuvira out.”  She checked her watch.  Broken.  

Kuvira made her way back through the portal and raised a brow at what she saw.  Mako, Bolin and Opal pulling one another out of their suits.  She made her way over to them, her back continuing to spasm, and sat down beside them, against a smooth rock.  “I radioed for a medical team.”

“Good thinking,” said Opal, finally popping a few needles out of Bolin’s suit, who then immediately fell on the ground like a ton of bricks.  She helped him up, clearly a little dazed herself, and sighed.  “Any idea where Asami is?”

“No.  She isn’t in the tree?”

“She’s not,” said Mako, wiping flop sweat off of his brow.  “Korra’s still okay, I think, but Artana’s gone, too.  It’s almost like they vanished.”

“Or maybe they fell through one of the holes in the sky?” asked Bolin, his stomach growling.  “They’re kind of all over the place, so it---you know it could happen.  Maybe.   _Or,_ maybe, even better, Asami did it on purpose and kicked Artana into one or something to protect Korra!”

A blue, wavy wall of energy materialized in front of them at the base of the tree.  It was foggy, but cleared up after a few seconds to reveal...Asami.  Glowing bright red in inhuman flames, fending off a mob of Earth Empire sailors through what looked like the lower deck of a very large ship.  

Bolin opened his mouth, closed it, then opened his mouth again.  “Or that, because it looks like Varrick was _right,_ somehow.  That could also be what happened.  What’s happening.”  He turned to the rest of them.  “...what’s happening, exactly?”

And then Asami kicked down a solid steel door, straight off its hinges.

Opal widened her eyes.  “Apparently _that._ ”

 

* * *

 

Asami sprinted through the cramped crew quarters, electrocuting a sailor as he rounded a corner, weapon in hand, and throwing his unconscious body back at the angry mob that had followed her through the upper decks of the carrier.  He bowled over a few of them, but the rest just kept coming, and she couldn’t blame them.  The Red Lotus had used them like expendable tools, and still were, though they weren’t aware of it.

She leaped out of the hatch, slammed it shut behind her and gripped the steel handle-wheel, turning it closed and warping the mechanism all but beyond repair.  The lack of metal being tossed at her probably meant there weren’t any benders chasing her.  Which was good, because she needed to make her way to the lifeboats as fast as possible.

Artana could escape and somehow make her way back to the tree that way, but thankfully using a monoplane on the top deck was all but impossible.  Artana was capable, but she wasn’t an entire crew.  Launching a plane was a team effort, even for her.

Asami brushed aside the the sounds of bloodthirsty curses and loud banging against the inner hull as the soldiers tried in vain to smash their way out.  They’d find a way out, but later.  After it was over.

She rounded a corner and shouldered open another hatch, crushing the metal as it nearly snapped off its hinges.  The engines were quieter, so she must be heading towards the bow. On a more positive note, she was getting the hang of all the red.  Nowhere near mastery, and she wasn’t feeling jittery or overwhelmed anymore, but with each breath it became less of an unknown.  

Her metal boots echoed across the hardened floor as she followed the posted signs, not that she necessarily needed them.  Then again, though she designed the original, the carrier she was currently in could be...different, in odd ways.  She’d already noticed a few discrepancies; there weren’t as many access points to the lower decks as she’d envisioned.  Or, none that were obvious.

A doorway she boosted past swung open and the captain, judging by her uniform, and several sailors burst out into the hallway, hurling just as many obscenities as they did metal.  Asami ducked and spun back around, drifting her Penshe between shards of steel as she quickly drew one of her fans and incapacitated her assailants with a few snap critical strikes, lightning arcing off their bodies as they fell to the floor.  She tossed them back into room, broke the door and backpedaled into the hallway.

If they woke up too soon, they’d think twice about leaving that room, metalbenders or not.

Asami sheathed her fan-blade and wiped sweat off of her brow as she finally came upon the access ladder closest to the port lifeboats.  She made her way up and out the hatch, once again rendering it unusable behind her and looked up at the series of suspended boats.  No single crane was empty, and after checking each individual boat, she found nothing. Asami frowned and launched herself up the nearby piping, bounding up to the flight deck and boosting across to the other side of the carrier, taking a quick count of the planes still present, just in case.

Just as many as were there when she’d arrived.  Another good sign, relatively.  They were nearing the shore.  Asami landed and bent to one knee, quickly drawing both of her blades as she made a scan of the boats.  Once again, nothing out of place or missing.

Artana was not hiding in the hopes of escaping.  But she _was_ hiding, which seemed strange to Asami.  Artana wasn’t one to do something without purpose, and her ultimate goal was still to get back to the tree.  So she wasn’t buying time, because distracting Asami would only hinder her own efforts.  Unless, that is, she wasn’t so much as hiding as she was keeping Asami occupied so that she could do... _something._

Asami huffed and sheathed her blades, focusing on the very real and physical objects around her.  How her feet were separated from her boots.  How her hair could be cut.  Simple, interconnected things that her mind took for granted based on assumption.  Slowly, her fire extinguished, leaving her a little winded.  

“Inhale, stomach out.  Exhale, stomach in,” she muttered to herself.  It wasn’t as much control as she’d have liked, but she wasn’t a bender, so having an ‘off’ switch was more than she’d expected.  At least she wouldn’t end forcing her body to starve itself without doing so on purpose.   

Asami rubbed her eyes and racked her brain, trying to come up with a place Artana could be.  She wouldn’t be swimming, and there certainly wasn’t a secret submarine around.  What she _needed_ was transport and...energy? Artana was tired, but she wasn’t foolish enough to take a nap.  Which mean that---

“The galley!” she said, boosting into a sprint and, with some effort, reignited her fire.  Armor as an extension of her body, naturally connected through muscle, bone and steel.  Pressure of feet, on her boots, on the floor, all reacting in tandem.  Again, simple interconnected things, but recontextualized.  She’d known perspective was powerful, but this was magnitudes more than should be possible.  

Asami came to a sliding stop as she finally reached the galley, having hopped and bounced her way between decks both from memory and the well-placed directional signs, and carefully approached one of the doors.  It wasn’t locked, and she could hear the hint of something else besides the hum of the lights and engine beyond it.  

She could break down the door, but that would mean attacking first.  And it could just as easily be a trap.  She could go up one level and _maybe_ tear open the floor, but that wasn’t something she felt like depending on.  Or testing.   But, the longer the waited, the worse it could get.  Then again, Artana surely must have heard her jumping around---

The door-wheel spun and the hatch creaked open, as if someone had lightly nudged it.  Asami centered herself and focused on what was important.  Stalling her.  Beating her was not the goal.  Killing her was not her mission.   _Stopping her,_ was.  

Asami used her fan to peek around the corner and into the galley, using the finely polished steel like a mirror.  A dozen empty benches, plenty of half finished food on plates strewn about, and completely devoid of anyone except for...Artana, with an alarm clock and her helmet beside her. Eating jerky and steamed vegetables, absently waving at her through the reflection.

“It’s not a trap, and so we don’t have to repeat our previous conversation: I have never lied to you.”

Asami scoffed.  “That’s not reassuring.”

“Neither is the fact that whoever was working the galley left the gas on, but you don’t hear me getting hung up on it.”  She gulped down some water.  “Well, perhaps a little.  It’s unsafe, and left unchecked it could have set this whole room on fire.”

Asami widened her eyes.  “What kind of shipwright would build a _gas powered_ stove into a naval galley?  That’s extremely dangerous, not to mention irresponsible.”

“The Earth Empire has almost no experience in seafaring, so that is most likely why.  I definitely recall your original schematics specifying electric.”

“...did you turn off the---”

Artana rolled her eyes. “Yes, I turned off the gas.  Like you, I don’t have the fondest memories of immolation.”  She bit down on a piece of jerky.  “I take it that the reason you’re not showing your face is because it’s covered in blood, yes?”

“What?” Asami wrinkled her nose and pivoted into the doorway.  “Why would I be covered in blood?”  A better question would typically be why they weren’t trying to kill one another, but Asami knew better than to ask.  Artana was talking casually, treating their encounter as if very little had happened.  This was ideal.

“I wasn’t entirely sure how you would react.” Artana raised her brows.  “I had guessed there would be _some_ blood, not much but there all the same, perhaps not even dried as your patience wore thin.  But I guess you managed to evade the majority of the crew without drawing blood.  Assuming none had a heart condition.”

Asami suppressed the urge to point out how she’d already thought of that.  “You didn’t even lie to _them._  Why?  Why not make it easier on yourself and say I was you?”  

“Because, again, I don’t lie.  At least, not anymore.  Do it too much and you lose yourself in them.  Extreme, I know, but sometimes that’s the only way to fix how you operate.” Artana gestured for her to come forward.  “Go ahead, sit.  I’m not done with my food quite yet.”

“I’ll stand,” she said, taking another step into the room.

Artana shrugged.  “Fine.”

Asami scowled.  “So that’s it?  You’re just going to sit there and eat?”

“And what about you? Somehow, you’ve been warping steel and you tossed me around like a ragdoll. Why aren’t you trying to kill me?”  She frowned.  “I don’t know how, but you’ve attained abilities that are effectively superhuman, and yet, here you are, _not using them._ ”  She took an angry bite out of her food.  “You should have bled to death several times over by now, but no, you get up, burst into flames, heal your own wounds and---what are you waiting for?!” she demanded.  

“Nothing.” Asami shook her head.  “Just because I can do something, doesn’t mean I’m going to do it.”

“I beat your friends half to death.  Some may even be dead.”

“I know, but killing you won’t change that.” Asami tightened her grip on her blades. “Killing Kuvira won’t bring my dad back.  Killing _you_ won’t bring back everyone you’ve slaughtered.”

“And you’re really willing to risk everything, everyone, on the idea that you can incapacitate me?  That you can take me down clean?”  She circled her face with her hand.

“If I wasn't, I’d be no better than you.”

“You’re mistaking wisdom from experience and naivete.  Mercy and compassion have their time and place.  This isn’t it.”

“Mercy? No.  No, this has nothing to do with mercy.  I don’t need to kill you, or beat you.” Asami gestured to Arana.  “I just need to stall you, and you’re well aware of that.”

“Burning time works both ways, we’ve been over this.  The more I recover, the faster you’ll die.”

“Dying today doesn’t scare me, Artana.  It’s me outliving everyone else that does.  I would rather die than go through that again.”

Artana shifted in her seat, settling her hands on the table. “The only person who you know still lives is Korra.  I’m not shaming you.  I understand where you’re coming from.  But that doesn’t make it any less sickening, does it?” She leaned forward, eyes darkening.  “To be faced with the reality that your closest friends, those you call family, may be dead, but you can endure that, because the one you love the most is still with you.”

Asami felt a very strong pang of guilt and her fire flickered.  No.  No, she would _not_ get into her head like that. “...yes.  The sad truth is that I’m...expendable, in the grand scheme of things.  In her life.” Let the guilt flow.  Do not linger on it.  It exists.  It is there.  It is not everything.  “She’d find someone again, I don’t doubt for a moment she’d work through her grief.  But it’s just not---”

Artana perked up, clearly proud of herself in probing for weaknesses.  It wouldn’t work.  Nothing would work.  Not for long.  “The same.  I know.”

“Then don’t you want to go out fighting?”

Artana sighed and tucked some loose hair back into her bun. “I’d rather die watching how it ends, if I had a choice.  Nothing quite so violent.  But I can’t accomplish that until Korra is dead, which you have made very, _very_ complicated.”

Asami couldn’t help but smirk at the hint of anger in her voice.  “What’s wrong? Not a fan of improvising?”

Artana put her helmet on.  “Hm? Oh, no, I’m quite good at it, and if anything the tears make it easier to get back, rather than relying on a portal.”  She got up from her seat and took her empty dishware over to the sink behind the counter.  “Force of habit.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“...well, to be honest, I thought the alarm would have gone off while I was speaking.  But there’s still around thirty more seconds left.”

Asami paled.  “Thirty seconds until---”

“Not what you’re thinking.” Artana waved her off.  “And no, I’m not going to tell you how much time we have left, since you were foolish enough to forget.  Your internal clock must not be very good.”

“That _still_ doesn’t---”

The alarm clock rang.

Asami was thrown to the ground as she heard, and felt, the carrier’s massive hull smash into something even larger.  Tables, benches, plates and silverware went flying and the overhead lighting sparked on and off, as the ship continued to quake, ear shattering metal screeching against stone all around her.  She rolled to her feet, only to get struck head on with load bearing steel pillar, pinning her against the back wall, dropping her blades which slid back with her.  She tried to push it off of her, only to find far more resistance than there should be.  

“You should have checked the bridge!” said Artana, one shaking hand stretched toward the steel pillar.  She mangled the gas pipes with her free hand and grabbed a lighter.  “You’ve become far more durable than I have time, but no matter how strong you are, if you can’t breathe, you’ll die.” She walked towards the exit, redoubling her efforts at pinning Asami to the wall.  “That is, if the flames don’t do it first.”  

The ceiling started to shudder and collapse, metal plates and bits of concrete falling to the floor.  Asami pushed forward with all she had, her arms screaming, but couldn’t manage to get the pillar to move more than a few inches.  She would not die in fire.  She _would not die in fire._

Asami roared and gave herself just enough room to raise her legs into the steel.  She kicked out and the beam bent in half, flying across the room and nearly smashing into Artana as she hopped out of the galley.   Asami picked up her blades, boosted through the door just as it was closing, her feet barely touching the ground as she drifted into the archway, when she saw a tiny flicker of light pass over her.  

The lighter.

Asami spun around, expanded her fans and made herself small, covering her body like a shield.  The gas detonated, blowing the door off its hinges, and pushed her back down the hallway, heating her fans as flames licked across the edges.  She sliced into the wall, her blade cutting through several feet as she slowed herself to a stop and heard explosions begin to travel across the ship.  

Asami spun around, cutting her sword out of the wall and---Artana was gone.  No, not gone.  She sprinted down the hall, back towards the access ladders, keeping her head on a swivel, and couldn’t hear any footsteps besides her own.  Artana beached the carrier on purpose, which meant she had an escape route back to the spirit world planned.  Must’ve seen a tear, maybe with a telescope.  Either way, she needed to get off of the ship, and fast.  There was no telling how much longer it’d keep together---

A pipe shot out of the wall, knocking her blades out of her hands.  Artana’s arm burst through the same wall as she turned to face it and pulled her through it, tossing her into the one of the women’s shower stalls.  Artana swung her own hastily made swords to puncture her heart, and Asami caught them by their edge just before they pierced her chest.  

They looked at one another, dumbfounded at the sight.  Artana growled and put more of her weight into her strike, the blades getting just a bit closer before Asami squeezed down and warped the metal, turning it back on itself.  Asami kicked out Artana’s legs, rolled to her feet and tried to boost her way back into the hall, only for Artana grab her in a chokehold from behind.

“No more of this!” she yelled, squeezing harder and twisting her neck.

Asami choked and clawed at Artana’s arms, feeling her fire nearly fade. She smashed her elbow into her stomach over and over again until her grip loosened just enough for another full breath.  Asami took it in, her energy returning, and struck her again with her elbow, powering through her metal defenses, wind howling from the impact, and knocking her back.  

She spun around and struck at Artana’s unprotected face with her electrified palm, only for her to deflect the blow and dent the steel wall beside her.  Asami ducked under another blade as it was bent into shape and yelped as Artana pulled back on her hair by the wolftail.  She yanked her head away and bit her cheek as the blade unevenly cut through her hair, ripping some of it out by the roots, and leaving her bleeding.  

Asami backflipped into the hall, snatched up her blades and, as maddening as it was, felt far more violated than she should.  “You cut my hair,” she seethed, electrifying her blades, only to realize that, again, Artana had vanished.  Asami moved back into the showers and caught a brief glimpse of her new...look (it wasn’t _horrible_ , if one ignored the blood _)_ in one of the less shattered mirrors, as she found Artana’s method of escape.  Hole in the ceiling, only half sealed.  She cut it open and started bounding up through what she assumed was a maintenance tunnel, boosting off one wall to the next as she ascended.

She would _not_ escape.

 

* * *

 

Opal hissed as one of the Earth Empire medics bandaged her side.  The response team had burst through the portal, started to tend to them and then almost immediately gotten caught up with the strange live ‘mover’ that was being displayed on the base of the tree.  And she had to admit, it was certainly engaging. Up until the part where Artana had done something she hadn’t even realized was unthinkable until it had happened.  

She’d cut off Asami’s hair.

“Nobody say anything if---when she gets back!” said Opal.  “I’m sure we can find a stylist to fix it!”

Asami and Artana traded blows across the flight deck of the beached carrier, gas explosions popping up along the edges and setting the wood ablaze.  Airplanes were tossed around like rocks and but Asami somehow managed to dodge or cut her way through all of them.   

“Well, yeah, she could just cut it shorter, even it out on the sides…” said Bolin, between giant gulps of water.  His face may have been mostly broken, but his spirit wasn’t.  “Maybe something a little like yours?”

“A _little_.”

“I think that’d work,” said Mako.  “I don’t think she’d like it very much, but it’d work until it grows back.”

Artana leaped through a tear just off the bow of the ship, and Asami followed her through it, tackling her to the ground.

“I fail to understand how any of this is important,” said Kuvira.

“It’s called levity!” yelled Opal, her face turning red.

 

* * *

 

Asami let go as Artana kicked her in the face, knocking her out of her hold.  She jumped backwards and almost fell into a raging river, narrowly avoiding a large fireball.  It took Asami a moment to register that something wasn’t quite right with that.  Two White Lotus sentries were posted on either side of an enormous ancient stone door, just as it slammed shut.  

One of them grabbed a radio as Artana bobbed and weaved around large bursts of flame and lightning, earthbending a four-story wall, and fifty feet wide, out of the ground right in front of Asami’s face.  

“We’ve got another tear at the entrance!” she heard one of them say, glowering at the wall and taking a few steps back.  

“ _Another_?” said Artana.  “Where’s the first one?”

Asami boosted forward into a running jump, making it just barely to the top, and rolled forward, sliding down the wall with her fans expanded to slow her descent.  She landed just as the huge doors slammed shut, one sentry already dead, and the other barely alive.  

“...Zaheer…” he managed to choke out, and Asami didn’t need clarification.  She knew _exactly_ where she was, and what she was going to do, should she get the opportunity.

Asami sheathed her swords, ground her teeth and threw herself forward, pitching her Penshe into the red as she glided across the ground.  She threw the stone doors open, the massive constructs wedging themselves into the edge of the interior rock wall. and sped past the growing count of dead, stained white robes.  The entryway was even larger than the archway itself, and it was lit with eerie green, glowing rocks.  The air was stale, and she caught a glimpse of Artana lowering into the floor on an elevator.

Asami cut her way into the shaft and leaped down it, widening her eyes as she realized just how _fast_ that elevator was moving and how deep the tunnel apparently went.  She grabbed on to the suspension cable and slowed herself down, sparks flying off of her gloves from the friction.  Once she’d slowed down enough, she let herself fall the rest of the way, landing on the roof of the lift, shaking its frame, the tiny platinum cage providing an odd sort of stalemate.  

“Go ahead, _cut the lines_ ,” said Artana, her voice muffled from within the metal.  “Trap me in this platinum box and let gravity decide my fate.”

Artana couldn’t attack her from in there, and if she cut her way through, she’d only leave herself vulnerable.  Asami licked the inside of her lips and looked at the elevator cables around her.  It would be so easy.  Just a few good slashes and it would all be over. The yellow lighting illuminating the shaft flew past her, level by level, as they descended further into the mountain.  She pressed her blade into one of the metal lines, narrowing her eyes as a few tiny strands snapped.

“You can’t do it.  Any rational person would, but you can’t.” She paused.  “No, not quite that. It stems from something deeper, doesn’t it?  More than just responsibility and morality.”

Asami didn’t respond, but pulled her blade away once she started to flicker red.  She took a small breath and let her misplaced shame flow through her unobstructed.  She wouldn’t psyche herself out, that was for certain.

The elevator slowed to a stop and Asami winced as she immediately heard the sounds of hopeless fighting, and then silence.  She cut her way into the elevator and hopped down to see Artana messing with the security door’s metalbending mechanism, a dozen bodies nailed to the walls, floor and ceiling with steel and stone.

Asami tightened the grip on her blades and scowled as she made eye contact with Artana.

“We have equal claim,” said Artana, finally showing some sort of anger.

“No.  We _really_ don’t.”  

 

* * *

 

Zaheer sat in the center of his prison, firmly on the ground.  The feeling of cold, hard metal pushing up on him was something he had yet to acclimatize to.  In many ways it was torture, as no matter how many times he tried, regardless of the method, every effort in leaving the ground behind resulted only in excruciating migraines.  

A dozen White Lotus sentries stood guard around him in a circle, and he grew more attentive as the tear in the back wall grew larger, and the sounds of battle echoed through the platinum door to his cell.  Things were silent for a moment, and the White Lotus appeared to lower their guard some.

And then the door exploded inward with a bright red glow, revealing none other than Nilani, or whoever she was, bursting her way into the room with a sly grin, and a woman engulfed in unnatural fire roaring after her.  The White Lotus attacked them both with earth and fire, and Zaheer exploited the distraction.

With what limited mobility he had, he airbent four of his guards into the wall and another three up into the air, letting their fall take them out of commission.  He countered a chi-blocker, inches before reaching him, by blasting air out of his mouth and sending them tumbling into the quickly deteriorating battlefield.  

Giant swaths of stone were being torn out of the walls and slung at the woman on fire, who deftly avoided them with superhuman speed and agility, bounding and leaping between razor sharp metal and jagged rocks, slicing through what she couldn’t dodge with blades filled with lightning.  The rest of his guards fell around him from the shrapnel the fight around him created, and Zaheer noted something very odd.

Each time the woman on fire got close to Nilani, her blades expanded into to the fans of a Kyoshi Warrior and she struck to incapacitate, not to kill.  She lunged at Nilani’s face with her electrified palm over and over again, which...looked almost familiar. Finally, she caught Nilani, her palm covering her face, and lighting surged over the sandbender’s helmet.  

Which did nothing.

The woman on fire tried to pull back but was being held in place by metal that quickly threatened to surround her and tear her to pieces.  But, before that could happen, she growled and slammed her palm into Nilani’s chest, sending her flying through the tear and ripping her helmet off of of her head in the process, freeing her from danger.  

She crushed the helmet in her hands and turned to face Zaheer, eyes burning with even more anger than her body.  And it was only then that he realized who she was. The Sato girl. He twisted his arms, airbending what he could to keep her at a distance, aiming to knock her through the tear as well, but she shrugged off his attacks like they were gentle nudges.  

It was possible they were.

"What are you doing?! You need to chase after her---" Zaheer  _felt_ Asami kick him in the head, audibly cracking his skull, faster than he could see it. He collapsed to the ground, the sheer force of her strike breaking his wrists and snapping his ankles against his bindings. He roared in pain, only for her glove to cover his mouth and nose, while her other hand pulled at his hair, forcing him to look at up her.

Even with the entire prison crumbling around them, ancient stone cracking and shattering around the chamber, the only thing Zaheer could focus on was the rage staring into what remained of his spirit. And then he realized he couldn't breathe. He struggled, writhing in her grip, but she didn't move an inch. She didn't even  _blink_. 

"You know what you did to Korra. You know what you  _made_ her do. And you know that they'll never let her kill you. They'll never grant her peace. But, right now..." She took her hand off his mouth and slit his throat from ear to ear. "I can." She dropped him back down to the floor and he clawed at the wound, desperately trying to cover it as he drowned in his own blood. "In your final moments, consider this: your death will do more for the world than your life  _ever_ could."

As he watched Asami vanish through the tear, darkness overtaking him, he did.

She was right.

 

* * *

 

Asami landed in a massive pool of mud, rain pouring down in a heavy storm.  She looked up as lightning flashed in the sky and her eyes quickly adjusted to the near pitch black darkness.

She was in the swamp, ankle deep in mud.

Asami bit her tongue, and quickly undid the latches on her _very loud_ turbofan, dropping it in the mud with a loud clank.  She quickly retied her scabbards to her back and she jumped up the nearest tree, bounding from branch to branch.  She heard a wave of mud crash into where she’d been and shivered.  Her Penshe was out of the fight, but the armor still worked, and so did the suit, so she could still move.   Just...not nearly as well.  

She found a wider branch to settle on and steadied her breath, making it silent.  Besides the brief bolts of lightning, she could barely see a thing...except for all the red around her.  Asami focused and separated herself from her boots.  The swamp.  The mud, and the rain drowning her fire.  

“Clever clever clever!” yelled Artana, to her left and rather far away.  Had she really been thrown that far?  “This whole glowing red thing you’re doing is getting _really_ annoying!” she roared, clearly becoming a little unhinged.  “Except now I can’t see you, and dammit, did you steal Zaheer from me?! DID YOU?!” For someone so dependent on guerilla warfare, she was only broadcasting where she was.  Unless that was the point.  Draw her out, drown her in mud.

Asami couldn’t fight through mud.  She’d get swallowed in moments.  She ran a hand through her hair.  Which wasn’t there. Focus.  The goal was to stall her.  Distract her.  Not to win.  

Wait and listen.

There was nothing but the rain, and the lightning had stopped.

Wave after wave swept through the trees at random intervals, with no real sense of pattern or direction.  Was she getting tired? Sloppy?  Maybe the suit was finally starting to kill her, or maybe killing Zaheer had the additional bonus of forcing her even further over the edge as she'd hoped. And soon as she finished that thought, she was thrown out of the tree by mud and stone, falling through vines and landing hard on her side, just at the edge of the muddy lake.  She slowly picked herself up and crouched down, shoving a few vines out of her way.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about why you won’t kill me _a lot_ !” yelled Artana, followed by a tree being uprooted and cracking on the ground not quite so far away.  “And I think I figured it out, because you I’m pretty fucking sure you killed Zaheer, so you’re either an idiot, which you aren’t, or _something happened to you!_ ” Another tree fell and the vines around her receded.  “Something recent!  Something that still weighs heavily on your mind!”

Asami kept very still and perfectly quiet.  All she had to do was let her talk herself to death.  

“Who’d you kill, Asami?  How many did you kill?  How’d you kill them?  Did you slice them to bits with those swords of yours, because I _know_ you used those at the Boiling Rock, and---oh, that’s it.   _That’s_ what this is,” she said, chuckling.  “You’re afraid of losing control!  Fight or flight instinct, it must’ve been.  Nothing else would make you snap like that and brutalize enough people for you to act like this.”  Bark cracked to her right, but no tree fell.  “They were going to die anyway, and you’re still wary of yourself.”  

Asami flexed her fingers and everything went silent.  No more footsteps through mud, or stones thrown about, trees falling.  Yelling, ranting.  Nothing.  Maybe---

One of her scabbards was torn off of her back and she dove into the mud, drawing her blade and looking around in complete darkness, her heart slamming into her chest.  If she ignited her fire, she’d be able to see, but Artana would still have the advantage.  She could stand outside the edge of her limited field of view and attack her at range.  If she didn’t swallow her in mud, first.

Asami bit down on her cheek and drew blood as she was slashed in the arm, cutting through her armor and leaving a shallow gash in her flesh.  She stumbled forward and was hit in the leg, to the same result.  She fell to one knee, taking every bit of willpower she had not make as little sound as possible and her body shook.   She rose up to her feet and readied her blade, only to get sliced across the back.

Asami fell face first into the mud and struggled on all fours, digging her palms into the earth.  She’d been here before.  She’d been _right here_ dozens of times.  Face down in the mud.  So, she pulled herself up, once again, and clenched her teeth.  She would not lose again. She _would not lose everything again._  She wasn’t even done taking it all back.  

And more.

“I can feel where you are in the mud, Asami.  Not perfectly, and not very well, but I _can,”_ said Artana, just before slicing into her side.  “I’ll hit something vital soon enough, just need to...get the timing right...fucking…” She muttered something off to her left.

Asami whimpered from the pain and nearly fell into a panic.  Her armor was breached, if only slightly, but it would still neutralize electrical fields.  Or, should.  Without thinking, she stabbed her blade into the ground, and electrified it, throwing lightning through the entire muddy pond and illuminating everything around her.  The trees, the vines, the dirt, and Artana, sprinting straight towards her.  Asami flipped on the secondary power source in the hilt and furrowed her brow.

She ignited her fire, caught Artana’s stolen sword mid-swing, twisted her wrist, and shattered the blade with an open palm strike.  She lunged at Artana, once again at her face, but she just kept dodging her, bending little bits of mud to throw her off balance between each attack.  Artana caught both of her hands and pushed back, struggling to maintain her footing in the mud.

Asami electrified her hands, lightning sparking between them as they struggled for dominance, and Asami found her strength rapidly sapping away.  Her breath became labored, her focus sloppy and soon enough, the flames died out.  She hadn’t lost the mentality.  She was just out of chi to boost.  

Artana scoffed in front of her, pushing further back and gaining the advantage.  “That’s that, then? No more energy to burn?  Your wounds haven’t healed themselves in a while.”

Asami growled and her blade shorted out, leaving them in complete darkness, save for the blue light of her gloves giving off just enough to wash over their faces.  “What about you? Finally drained after all of this fighting?  You sounded like you were having trouble bending.”

“Trouble? Sure. Drained? No, never.  Now, tell me, how ever did you manage to get all of that...red on you?”

“The power of love.”

Artana stared at her blankly.  “...really.”

“The power of _love,"_ she said with a sly grin.

“That is the single stupidest thing I have ever heard you say.”

“The. Power. Of. LOVE."

“Fuck. You.”

Asami tried to think of something else besides headbutting, because if she moved, and she collapsed from exhaustion, that would be it.  She honestly couldn’t tell how much energy she had left, or if non-benders were even in the same danger---

Something tiny and purple flickered out of the corner of her eye and grew brighter.  It didn’t take her longer than that to realize what it was.  A spirit vine, stuck to Artana’s back.  She shut off her gloves and they fell into darkness.  The vine hummed and withered away, rendered inert.  

Artana pulled away and stumble backward, scoffing.  “Oh, such observational skills you possess, Asami.  Electricity in the swamp being a _bad thing,_ who knew?”

Asami slowly backpedaled to where she was pretty sure her sword was.  “Shut up.” She reached out for it, but found nothing.  It must have fallen in the mud, since Artana was still...somewhere around a dozen feet from her, and she wasn’t about to bend down and try and find it.  “Just shut up.”

“You’re welcome to make me.  Once...well, once either of us can find the other.”

The entire swamp lit up in blinding yellow, energy glowing through the vines and rippling the air around it.  She met Artana’s eyes, who was just as surprised as she was.  Was that the end?  It wasn’t purple, so, they probably wouldn’t explode, but then why were they yellow, like the Tree of Time?  Had Korra---

Several dozen tears ripped open all around them, which only grew larger and larger, until they swallowed the both of them whole, falling into the void.  

 

* * *

 

Baatar wiped sweat off of his brow and flipped through the bomb schematics, finding the page he was looking for.  Disassembling it had been a very real nightmare, as the lunatic who had designed it had installed so many redundancies and anti-tamper fail-safes that it was clearly made with the mindset of ‘stall whoever tries to disarm this for as long as humanly possible’.  

The engineering team had managed to separate all the important connections and junctions from the rest of the bomb casing, if one could even call _ten train cars of vines_ a casing, so all that was left was the very delicate process of...well, he was doing around twelve different things at once, so calling it ‘madness’ sounded about right.

“Timer’s at twenty minutes, sir”

Baatar nodded and did a double take on the vines.  They were no longer purple.  They were yellow.  “...this was not in the manual.”

 

* * *

 

Asami tumbled out of the unknowable void and into the thankfully soft snow, struggling to her feet and dusting herself off.  She breathed heavily and took a look around, taking note of Artana, struggling to stand up on a patch of ice across from her, and the frozen wasteland around them.  A few long dead trees poked up out of the ground, but otherwise it was just ice and snow.  

And then she saw it.  “The southern portal…” she said.  They were only a few miles away.  Which was the _worst_ possible place for her to be.  

Artana whistled.  “Hey! Focus! We’re not done yet!” she said, pulling a knife out of her boot and flipping it between her hands.  “Come on, Asami---”

  
“Oh, will you just _shut up?!”_ Asami bristled and balled her hands into fists, readying them.  “Shut up! Just shut up! I am sick and tired of this! How can you still be so confident, so _arrogant_ after all of this has blown up in your face?!”

Artana narrowed her eyes.  “It hasn’t quite yet.  We’re still alive.”

“Are you, though?  Is this what you call living?  Forcing yourself to live in my father’s shadow out of some sick, twisted reverence?!”

Artana’s hardened face cracked a little.  Good.  Stall for time.  “You really think this is---”

“I do! You’re basically trying to _be_ my dad, so let’s face it!  You’re not!  You’re nothing but a pale copy of the real thing.  You’re no mastermind; you’re just playing at being one because you _so badly_ want to surpass someone you idolized!  Well, you wanna know something?  It doesn’t matter how smart or meticulous you are, Artana.  At least my dad fought for something he believed in.  You?  You’re fighting for _nothing._ Because that’s all you really are.”

“Does any of that really matter?” Artana scoffed, taking a few steps closer to her.  “Asami, we ran out of time around an hour ago.”

Asami frowned.  Closer, closer.  “No, we didn’t.  We’re still alive, just like you said!”

Artana continued stalking toward her.  “Well, the end isn’t an instant thing.  This took around two days to happen, so---”

Asami lunged at her, seeing an opening, her hands arcing with electricity, and overshot thanks to the ice, falling flat on her face.  She scrambled back to her feet, slipping along the ground, only to see Artana having suffered the same fate.  They stared at one another, exhaustion creeping in faster and faster.

Artana charged at her, and Asami swung her legs around her waist, flipping her on to the ground and landing on her own feet.  She moved to tackle but Artana kicked her in the stomach and got back up, swinging and slashing at her with the knife.  Asami bobbed and weaved, each time getting more sloppy than the last as she struggled with the ice.  Her attempt at disarming backfired, and both of their slow, heavy footwork earned her a gash over her left eye.  

Asami stumbled backward, covering her eye and blinking, through the blood, only for Artana cut her again across the chest, but only barely.  Asami growled and brutally swung at her ribs, into her stomach, her chest, her shoulders, and finding just enough energy to land a kick to the head, spinning her off balance. She grabbed Artana’s free arm, twisted her down to her knees, and broke it.

Artana screamed and kicked out her legs, frantically getting back up, and glared at Asami with one dead arm.  Asami stood up slowly and wiped the blood away from her eye.  She could still see out of it.  Sort of.  

“Even if you bring me in alive, Korra will kill me,” said Artana, barely, her breath labored.  “And if you convince her not to, then Kuvira will.  You have to know that.”

“I do.  I don’t care.  I’m not going to kill you.”

“So you’re going to drag my body all the way there.”

“Yes.”

Artana snorted into a laugh.  “I think you hit your head harder than I did!”

Asami blinked and felt her head pound.  She needed to end this, _now._ But the closer she got, the more likely it’d be that she’d be gutted by that knife, and she didn’t have nearly enough agility left to disarm her.  And the only way to incapacitate Artana with _certainty_ was to electrocute her, which she...had to be close to do.  Now matter how she played out the next few moves, she couldn’t find a way to win.  Even with Artana’s bending out of the equation.  

So Asami kept staring at that knife.  Common, standard issue.  Rubber grip and serrated steel blade.

Rubber grip.  But then...

Asami almost laughed at the notion.  It wouldn’t work.  It _couldn’t_ work.  Even as dazed as Artana was, she’d never fall for that.  Unless, of course, Asami were _also_ losing her edge and slowly collapsing.  Which she was.  So there was a chance.

A slim one, but still her best option. And it’s not like Artana could even raise her arm all that much, so the risk was...well, big.  But relatively minimal compared to a war of attrition.

So Asami took a small breath, taking a moment to remind herself the amount of insanity Korra was struggling through at that very moment.  If she could do that, then Asami could risk it.  She owed her, owed _everyone_ that much.  She reignited her fire, flames surrounding her once again, and sprinted straight into Artana---

She coughed up blood as soon as the knife sunk into her gut, letting her arms fall to her side as her red glow vanished instantly.  Piercing her ‘big sea of chi’ would do that.  She whimpered and shut her eyes, forcing herself to stay conscious, despite the agony and to _stay alive.  Keep breathing._

Artana wheezed into a dry chuckle.  “Ironic, isn’t it?  Mutually assured destruction.  The very thing that would have saved us all, will kill us both.  If you shock me, you go down, too.  And you’ll bleed out before you get back up.”

“You just don’t get it.” Asami’s lips split into a sly smirk. “ _Mutually assured destruction_ ?” she coughed.  “No.  No, we _both_ saw madness on the horizon, the destruction and fear that could come with it.  But you had others face that nightmare for you.  You delegated, but I _fought._ You have so little faith in humanity that you planned for failure.  And only failure.” She raised her head to face her, eyes boring into her soul.  “You _gave up._ For all your posturing and ideology, you’re nothing more than a coward who lost her nerve.”

“It---”

“---doesn’t matter, right?  You blinked, and I didn’t.  For once, you missed something, and _I didn’t,_ ” She grabbed Artana by the head. “It’s a rubber grip, you fucking idiot.”

Asami flashed her teeth and lightning arced off of her fingertips, travelling through through the metal and into Artana’s flesh, electrocuting her.  She slumped over and fell to the ground.  

Unconscious.

Asami stared down at the body before remembering that she had a knife in her gut.  She took a few short breaths before biting down and pulling it out with an agonizing scream.  She let it fall to the ground, covering up her wound with her hands and made a mental note to thank Baatar for making _very_ good armor.  It was deep, but not...not nearly as...deep as it could have been.

“Shit…”

She was going to die if this didn’t work.  Asami squeezed down on her stomach and focused on her hands.  Connected to her gloves, her skin, her abdominal muscles, her stomach lining---she gasped as, for the briefest of moments, her fire came back, closing the wound in her stomach, before almost instantly flickering out.  It still hurt like hell, and internally she was still hurt.  Probably.  But now...now she wouldn’t bleed out.

And that was good.

Asami used the knife to cut open the back of Artana’s suit, disabling the effect, and used the extra material to fashion a sling for her arm.  She started to drag her towards the southern portal as the cold began to catch up to her.  Almost done.   _Almost._ Just keep moving forward.

Keep moving forward.

Asami blinked a few times, her eyelid having stopped bleeding, but it still felt odd, and the next thing she knew she was about two hundred feet from the portal.  She must have zoned out or...sleepwalked her way there, since she was still dragging Artana.

“...you beat me?”

Asami looked over her shoulder and glared down at Artana.  “Yes.  And Korra will soon, too.”

Artana smiled.  Genuinely.  “Good.”

“Good?  How is that good?  You _failed._ ”

Artana snorted.  “No, no this is actually the ‘best case scenario’...”

“You’re delusional.”

“I’m not.  Very concussed, but...more or less lucid,” she said, slowly.  “And my back is numb.  But, anyway, with this outcome, it’s not about me winning.  It’s about everyone else winning.”

Asami rolled her eyes.  “Uh huh.”

“Think about it.  Why---why wouldn’t I have a way to stop this from happening, all the tears in the sky?”

“Because you’re insane?”

“No.  I didn’t need one.  Already had one.”

Asami paled.  “...Korra.”

“Now you’re getting it.”

Asami furrowed her brow.  “You didn’t want us to win, but on the off chance that we did, that we beat you, that we proved you... _proved you wrong,_ ” she said, remembering the haunting words that had stabbed her through the shoulders.  “The world that came after would be…”

“There’d be hope.  That we would not be caged.  That maybe, _just_ maybe, we won’t destroy ourselves.  Because if you can all manage to stop something as insane and unstoppable as this, then you can stop spirit weapons from ruling everyone by fear, too.”

“And the only way to do that is to bring people closer together.  Lowering borders, a greater understanding between peoples----Oh _go fuck yourself!”_

She could _feel_ Artana shrug.   

“You won’t live to see it, and you sacrificed the Red Lotus itself to make it happen.  No one will carry on your legacy.”

“What’s there to carry on? The Red Lotus need not exist if everything we tried to achieve becomes reality.”

“But none of that matters, right?”

“No.  That... _that_ matters.”

Asami suppressed the urge to just leave her out in the snow to die, but knowing her, she’d somehow find a way to survive.  And they’d made it to the portal anyway, so she may as well.  She stepped through it, feeling the warmth of the light wash over as she entered the spirit world and raised her brows at the sight.

Several squads of Earth Empire soldiers, all sporting patches of the universal ‘medical’ symbol, were gathered around the Tree of Time, with Kuvira, Bolin, Opal and Mako with them, looking badly beaten up, but okay.  They were okay.

They were _okay._

Mako turned to her first, almost as if he’d known somehow and smiled.  Bolin and Opal joined him, and Kuvira just gave her a nod.  One of the medics took Artana, who had passed out again, away and another helped her make the rest of the walk to the tree.  Mako, Bolin and Opal moved to stand and embrace her, but she motioned them off.  Not yet.  Wasn’t over yet.

The yellow glow was flickering blue, and that had to be a good sign.

Asami held her stomach and gave her friends, and Kuvira, a lazy smile.  “Hey.”

“YOU WERE AMAZING!” exclaimed Bolin  “The way you jumped around like that---oh, and that part with the airplanes was---see, this is why we need mover cameras everywhere!  Stuff like that just _happens_ around us!”

“What?  How---how did you know about that? And how are you even okay?”

“Morphine,” said Kuvira.

Opal gestured to the tree.  “Big wavy blue mover screen popped up, so we saw the whole thing.”

“...all of it?”

“You should have killed her in the elevator,” said Kuvira.

“Nobody asked you,” said Mako.  He turned back to Asami.  “Are _you_ okay?”

Asami shrugged meekly.  “I just took a knife to the gut after a globe-trotting sword fight so yeah, I’m okay, all things considered.”

“How’d you do the red thing?” asked Bolin.

Asami blushed. “...the power of love.”

“You were serious?” Bolin shrugged.  “Well, that’d do it.”

Asami looked up at hollow of the tree.  “Kuvira, I need you to do me a favor.”

“What is it?”

“Kill Artana before Korra is done.”

Kuvira immediately got up and walked over to the medics, and Asami didn’t watch what happened next.  

“I think that was more you doing her a favor,” said Opal.

“Maybe.” Asami shrugged.  She knew perfectly well why, even in her current state.  If Korra were to rise out of the tree, and see Artana alive, she’d do something she’d regret for the rest of her life.  Well, that, and Artana didn’t deserve to see what happened next. “What’s important is that Korra---”

The tree glowed a brilliant blue and lightning shot out of it and into the two main portals, arcing them unnaturally.  Everything pulsed, and a massive blast of energy exploded out of the tree and washed over everything, closing the tears instantaneously and stabilizing the color of the spirit world sky to it’s natural orange.  

 

* * *

 

Baatar covered his eyes as a blue wave of energy passed over him and looked to the northern portal as the rips between worlds vanished, the dawning sky returned to a dark navy.  He turned back to the bomb and watched the vines, once glowing and terrifying, wither away and die. He checked the spirit energy detector attached to the side of the control panel, and it was registering zero.  No twitching needle or clicks.  Just nothing.

He smiled.  “We’re done here.  Burn them.”

 

* * *

 

“...as for law enforcement…” Lin rolled out a map of Jingdao over Raiko’s desk and pointed to the few locations she’d already circled in red ink.  “If we set up precincts here, here and here, we’d have the most effective coverage.  Recruiting and training from their own population would probably make things a smoother transition, too.”  She blinked as blue light went flying past her out the window and through City Hall itself.   And then half of her problems were fixed in a few seconds.  “Right.  Anyway, if the city gets any bigger, we’ll probably need a commissioner instead of just one Chief of Police.”

“You may be right.” Raiko nodded and continued to look out the window, clearly more interested in _something they’d both seen before_ than something that was actually his responsibility.  He widened his eyes as the giant vine in his office withered away lost all color.  Huh.  Raiko turned back to her and cleared his throat.  “I’ll mention construction options at my next cabinet meeting and try to fast track this.”

“Good.  The city didn’t blow itself up this time, so I’d like to keep it that way.”

 

* * *

 

Varrick perused his wardrobe, searching for _just_ the right suit for the day ahead in his walk-in closet.  That one was too dark.  Too red.  Too green, too purple, too... _vomity,_ ugh.  Must’ve gotten that one as a gift.  “Zhu Li, I need help choosing the right kind of blue!” he whimpered.

Zhu Li appeared beside him and turned him around to face the window, colored pencils and paper held by her side.  He stared outside, and saw something spark in the distance, only for it to surge forward and tint everything a _very_ specific shade of blue for a few seconds.

He whistled.  “Yes! That’s absolutely perfect!  I just hope a tailor saw that, or we’re out of luck.”

Zhu Li quickly scribbled a wavy block of color on to her paper with a few shades of blue.  “That won’t be necessary,” she said, smiling and handing him the _exact_ shade he’d just seen.  “But we still need a tailor.  None of your suits are _quite_ right.”

Varrick laughed and kissed her on the lips.  “To the tailor!”

“After breakfast, dear.”

“After breakfast!”  

 

* * *

 

Tenzin opened an eye as he heard Jinora shift in her meditative posture, which was most uncommon.  She almost never lost focus during morning meditation.  And then he saw why as energy that was unmistakably _Korra_ washed over him and dashed into the horizon, healing the wounds above as if they were never there to begin with.

Meelo whooped and jumped into the air, gliding around the gazebo and performing loop-de-loops.  Ikki reached leaped across the space between the two masters and the other airbenders, hugging her sister tight.  The rest of the air nation slowly turned and wandered out from under the roof, looking above at the unscarred sky.  

Except for Bumi who lifted Tenzin up to his feet with a big grin.

Tenzin smiled.  “Let’s take a five minute break.”

Bumi wrapped his arm around his little brother’s neck.  “That has got to be some crazy story!”

“I’m sure that it is.”

 

* * *

 

Suyin leafed through her newspaper and the pages fluttered in her grasp as a blue tint phased through the dining room for a few seconds.  She looked up at her husband, who just shrugged, and then to Wing, Wei and Huan, who had already ran to the windows.  “Is the sky still broken?” she asked, taking a sip of her midday tea.

“Looks good to me!” said Wing.

“Yeah, but the portals are still there!” countered Wei.

Huan continued to gape and closed his mouth into a big smile.  “Inspiration has struck me like never before, rivaling even Harmonic Convergence!”  He wiggled his fingers.  “I must create these transcendent feelings and images!”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, son,” said Baatar.  “We’ll love whatever you come up with.”

“Yes! Because it’s going to take the world by storm and redefine the very meaning of the word _art,”_ he said, sweeping out his arms and sprinting out of the room.  

Suyin chuckled.  “You’re only encouraging him.”

“I was trying to,” said Baatar.  “I just don’t know how he’s going to beat the masterpiece he made after the last lightshow in the sky.”

Suyin smiled and covered his hand with hers.  “He’ll find a way.”

 

* * *

 

Asami watched in awe as the tree’s gnarled branches bloomed with life, thick green leaves materializing in a matter of seconds in what should have taken decades, if not eons.  Flowers of a thousand colors, stripes of blues, greens, greys, reds, violets and many she didn’t have names for burst out of the ground, starting from the tree and traveling out into the horizon.

Korra had done it.  They’d done it.

They’d won.

Korra rose out of the hollow of the tree, her entire body glowing blue, elegant gold markings adorning her chest and abdomen, for a moment before fading away.  She slid down the tree immediately pulled Asami in for a hug.  “Remember when I said I wasn’t convinced you had any limits?” She chuckled breathlessly. “Not exactly what I had in mind.”  She rested her hand on Asami’s stomach with a warm glow of water, healing the worst of the internal damage in a matter of seconds. “It’s over.  You can rest.”

Asami smiled and let sleep take her, finally confident that, when she woke up, everything would be all right.

 

* * *

 

Asami slowly blinked her eyes open and the sound of distant traffic filled her ears.  The hospital room was small, but adequate, and the design was distinctly Republic City.  The shades were closed, but a little bit of light bled through the cracks.  She heard people milling and running about outside in the hallway and slowly sat up, finding it more difficult than she’d imagined. She groaned, and Naga licked her face with a small whine.  The polar bear dog rubbed Asami’s cheek and with her nose and Asami rested her head there for a moment.  

“Hey Naga,” she whispered.  

Korra gasped and flew into her field of view.  She squeezed her hand and sat up on the side of the bed beside her. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t get up so fast,” she soothed.  “Take it easy.  There’s no rush to do anything right now.”

“Okay.” Asami smiled lazily and nodded, scratching Naga’s chin.  “Hi.”

Korra smiled back.  “Hey.”

“How long was I out?”

“A few days.  You woke up a few times, but you weren’t really alert.  I...couldn’t heal you.” She frowned. “I still can’t, nobody can.  Just too risky.  You burned through so much energy that it’d only hurt you more, or worse, so for now…” Korra squeezed her hand again.  “Modern medical science.”

“I think I can live with that.”

“ _Yes_.  Yes, you can.”

Naga wagged her tail.

Asami swallowed. “Everyone else okay?”

“Yeah.  Pretty bad concussions all around, which are very difficult to heal.  Sprains, broken bones, but they’re fine.  Kuvira got the worst of it, though.  Spinal trauma.   _That_ called for spirit water, so she’s already up and about.”

“Good.  That’s good.” Asami winced and tried to sit up again, but this time Korra helped her, settling more pillows behind her to prop her up.  “How am I doing? Besides the fact that you can’t heal me.”

“You were...pretty banged up, to say the least, the knife being the worst of it.  So.  Don’t charge into sharp objects again, please.  Ever.”

“It...made sense at the time.”

Korra chuckled and shrugged.  “Hey, I know, I saw the whole thing.  Well, I saw _everything everywhere,_ all at once, so that was an interesting experience, but you were part of that.”  She bowed her head. “It just really scared me that you used yourself as bait.”

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Korra shook her head.  “No, no, you have nothing to apologize for.  In fact, I don’t think the words ‘thank you’---I don’t know what to say about...what you did.”  

Asami gave her hand a weak squeeze.  “Of course.”

“I’m not talking about Artana.”

Oh.

Asami looked down at her stomach, which was very heavily bandaged.  “No one would let you end him, and after what he made you do…” she bit her lip.  “I couldn’t live with myself if I left without finishing it for you.”

“I know,” she whispered.  “I know, I know, I know, believe me I know, and I’ve already cried my eyes out over that---I just never thought…” She sighed.

“That you’d get closure like that?”

“Yeah.” She smiled a little.  “It’s better this way, I think.  He’s gone, but I don’t feel empty.”

“I’m glad,” said Asami, smiling.  They sat there for a few moments in silence, and she processing it all as best she could.  She was alive.  Korra was alive.  Her friends, her family, they were alive, and they were going to be okay.  “I’m...okay, right?” she asked with some hesitation.

“Yeah,” said Korra, starting to cry.  “Yeah, you’re okay.  You’re gonna be fine.  Everything’s gonna be fine.”  She laughed through her tears.  “You know, after all of that worrying that _I_ was gonna die---” She leaned in and gave her a desperate kiss.  “I love you.”

Asami’s eyes burned. “I love you, too.”  

 

* * *

 

Kuvira flipped through the contract again and again, reading every word under intense scrutiny.  That arrogant lawyer had dropped it, along with a second document she had yet to open, off at her apartment with a massive grin on his face, spewing a few thousand words of irritating jargon, as if he’d just won the case of the century.  It was possible that he had, but that wasn’t her concern.  What interested her far more was that she was...done.

“...in light of your recent acts of heroism, the office of the President of the United Republic has decreed that your previous position of ‘employment’, heretofore to be known as ‘voluntary consultation’, to be unbefitting of an individual possessing your knowledge, skills and abilities…” she read aloud.

Baatar sat down on the bed beside her.  “He’s covering.”

“Clearly, as he still wants my help.” She frowned.  “...services previously rendered will be retroactively paid in full at a flat rate…”

Baatar carefully flipped over the next few pages, to what she’d, at first, been so sure was a simple trick of the eye.  “Kuvira, he’s backed into a corner.  He’s giving you what we want.  Take it.”

“It’s almost identical to the position they put me in after Ba Sing Se, but with significant oversight.  And very explicit end goals.  Splitting up the states under self-governance, with a smaller central government, dividing the military under local leadership and populations...” She furrowed her brow.  “Wu effectively got what he wanted.”

“That’s an improvement.”

Kuvira nodded.  “It is, most likely for everyone involved.  And the all but unwritten threat of sending Korra after me should I repeat the same mistakes makes it much more believable.” She sighed.  “But that doesn’t address the threat of the vines.  None of this does.  What good is it to help our people if, the moment they’re safe, they’re attacked with something they cannot defend against?”

“We’ll figure something out…” Baatar opened the second document and started reading through it, his brows slowly raising.  “Or maybe someone already has.”

Kuvira grabbed the second document and quickly read through it.  The Flashfire Initiative.  Pre-emptive strikes against possible, and known, terrorist cells. Intelligence gathering. A team of elite soldiers, with the best equipment available, from a united coalition of nations with a single goal: Stop the madness before it starts. For many intents and purposes, an off-the-books ‘Avatar’, as the world should be able to protect _itself,_ and not rely solely on miracles.  Several dozen soldiers were listed, benders and non-benders alike, as potential candidates for the task force.  

Raiko’s plan had not changed.  Promote safety in the public, enforce it in the shadows.  

“They want you in charge,” said Baatar.

“No.  They want me to prove that I can be trusted.” She put the two documents side by side and tapped the first.  “And that is how.”

“But there’s no one else qualified.”

Kuvira smiled and pulled him in for a kiss.  Starting over.  “Which is exactly what I’m going to show them.”

 

* * *

 

Asami blinked and ran her thumb over her left eye and what was left of her hair.  “Can I get a mirror?”

“Sure.” Korra handed her one.

Asami inspected herself closely.  The cut on her left eye had been pretty deep, save for what was actually important, so it had left a decent scar.  She winked into the mirror and tried to tousle her hair, which failed miserably.  It was a _mess_ of uneven locks and she was pretty sure there were bald patches being hidden behind the black.  But it’d grow back.  “Not bad.  The scar should certainly make meetings with less than agreeable investors, anyone really, much more interesting.”

Korra smirked.  “I’ll bet.”

Asami set the mirror aside.   “Guessing I don’t have a concussion?”

“Nope.  Not sure how that happened, but you’re fine up there.” She tapped her own head.  “Whatever made you red must’ve helped with that.”  Korra settled further on to the bed and leaned in to whisper.  “How’d you do that, by the way?”

Asami blushed intensely.  “The power of love.”

Naga panted with a large grin and barked.

Korra grinned and giggled.  “I already knew that.  I just wanted to hear you say it.”  She ran her hand through her hair.  “Hey…”

“Hm?”

“Marry me.”

Asami raised her brows.  “I---what?”

“Marry me,” she repeated, just as confident.

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

Asami chewed on her lip and smirked.  “Okay.”  She leaned forward a little bit, eyeing her curiously.  “...and that’s all there is to it?  Don’t we have tax forms to sign?  A ring? A necklace? A ceremony?  Anything?”

Korra smiled and shook her head.  “Nope.  Not back home.  That’s all there is to it.  Then you just start telling people, but we can still have a ceremony, if you want one, and the necklace is a _northern_ thing, so…” She made a face.  “I don’t wanna do that. It’s gross for a lot of reasons.”

Asami blinked several times, still shocked, despite her almost entire lack of hesitation.  “Well, alright, but, whatever we do, there are things we have to fill out in the United Republic, for census and legal purposes..." She blushed. "Do you want to take my last name?”

“I don’t know, how does ‘Avatar Korra Sato’ sound to you?  Because it sounds _perfect_ to me. I mean, I think you broke enough glass to keep things great for us for a very, very long time.”  

"It _did_ seem to work for Bolin and Opal.  Maybe there's really something to that."

"It's Varrick, so yeah, maybe." Korra shrugged.  “Look, whatever we need to do, we’ll do, but…” She blushed.  “I wanted to do it like my parents did first. That was important to me...even though you just woke up. Besides, power of love, right?  What’s a better opportunity than _that_?”

Asami looked away.  “Well, it was...more about my love for my father than anything else…”

“Ohhhh, fourth chakra---no, that’s fine.  That’s okay,” she said, chuckling.  “I mean, I was in there somewhere.”

“Of course!”  She shifted in the bed. “I...don’t feel any different.”

“I think that’s sorta the point.”

Asami snickered. She couldn’t argue with that.  And she made a mental note to burn the suits and all the schematics.  Some things just needed to be destroyed.  “Can you open the blinds? I want to see the city.”

Korra nodded and smiled, hopping off of the bed.  “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”  She threw open the curtains to reveal...Republic City.  Unharmed and whole, just as they’d left it.  The vines looked a little paler, though.  “And no, there’s no damaged part of the city that you can’t see from here.  Few scorched street corners, but other than that, it was business as usual while we were out.  Tends to happen when there isn’t a giant spirit or mecha attacking.”

Asami felt her heart swell with pride.  They didn’t have to rebuild it all over again.  Then, she blinked as she noticed something odd.  “The portals, the extra ones, they’re still there.  I thought we won.”

Korra scratched the back of her head. “Well, we, uh, did win.  Worlds aren’t ending, but I wasn’t able to put everything back together before the damage was done, or close the portals in time, so I had to settle for stabilizing them, and now I can’t undo it.  Sky’s still fine, and the barrier is healed, but it’s thinner now.”  She tapped her lip.  “Think the solstice, but a little more spirit-y,” she said, making a so-so gesture.  “And forever.”

“What about the vines?”

“They don’t work anymore, but...”

Asami sighed.  “It’s not permanent.”

“Probably not.  They always grow back.”

Asami rubbed her eyes.  “We can deal with that later.”

“Yeah, and, it’s gonna be a massive pain to go and close each portal, one by one, because I’m not doing that in the tree again.  And I’m guessing you’re not up for hopping through them again and zooming around every corner of the planet…” said Korra, as she continued talking about what her probable schedule was going to be as she travelled.  

Asami furrowed her brows, half listening, but feeling an idea form in her mind.  They’d managed to traverse the entire planet by using the spirit world as a shortcut, cutting travel times down to mere fractions of what they once were.  Everything was stable.  The worlds were closer together than ever before.  Raava had raised a spirit army to fight alongside humans and everyone Asami had gone into battle with…and Asami had...

Combined it all.  Technology, spirituality, humans and spirits, the worlds themselves tying everything together to form a plan to save everyone.

And then it just clicked.

_Iroh put the cup of noodles on the floor of the tree. "The noodles, without the water, are dry and separate. They break easily, just like the bonds between many different kinds of people. They are brittle and stubborn. They do not have the desire to change. But, once you add the water..." He poured hot water into the cup from his teapot. Asami looked into it through the rising steam. "You have to let it settle, because even though change can happen much faster these days, that does not mean it is truly instant. Just like the noodles. Then, you watch, you listen, you prepare." He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started stirring the noodles._

_Korra furrowed her brow. "...and, once the noodles are ready, they want to stick together. Stirring them around makes big clumps of them so you can eat more at once."_

_Asami looked to Korra. "Which means that more and more people will find trust in one another." She turned to Iroh, mesmerized. "A greater understanding. A stronger sense of community."_

_Iroh held up his chopsticks, displaying a large tangle of noodles. "Exactly. The water gives the world life and meaning. It can guide us all toward peace and understanding, but that can only happen if the noodles, and the people, are willing to listen. It has to be fresh, or you will lose your only chance at the making the world whole."_

“...which means that I’ll be gone for about two months, at the most,” continued Korra.  “Hey, are you okay?  You look like---”

Asami tried to force herself out of bed, but Korra stopped her from straining herself.  “I need a map of the portals, an atlas, pencils and _a lot_ of paper!  Right now!”

“What?  Why---”

“I just figured out the noodles!”

Korra didn’t need to be told twice.  She sprinted out the door, but then almost immediately poked her head back inside.  “Who has the map of the portals?”

“Zhu Li!”

“Got it!”

Asami snickered into a loud laugh once Korra left, but stopped once it pained her stomach.  All of that time, focusing on aircraft, when she should have been looking just a little bit closer at that submersible train idea.  Oh, who was she kidding.  She’d do both.

But first, trains.

 

* * *

 

_Four Months after the Spirit Breach_

_Mid Winter, 176 A.G._

 

Asami wiped the sweat off of her brow as she walked deeper into the swamp. Her boots dragged mud and sludge that had travelled with her for miles of waist deep black lakes and vines that only grew paler. She looked up, the endless green canopy blotting out the sun and sky alike, and took a small breath, her tired eyes deepening.

There was energy around her; the beeps and clicking coming from her modified spirit energy counter confirmed that. But she couldn't feel a thing. Not a single shift of the air, nor a rumble in her gut. No 'bad feeling' or sense of dread. Nothing. She pulled the counter off of her belt and watched the needle hover just below the red, wavering ever so slightly as to suggest that maybe, just maybe, it was wrong.

The withered, lifeless vines that spread across the swamp floor and up into the trees seemed to be trying to convince her of that. It had been the same in Republic City. Slowly, over the course of many months, the vines had receded and became brittle. No stronger than a dead twig. The mystery wasn't the how or why of how it had occurred, but rather if it was permanent. If the vines that were, for the moment, no longer a threat, would never become one again.

Asami swept the counter out in front of her like a divining rod, searching for the highest concentration of energy. The unmistakable clicking spiked as she pointed directly toward the Banyan Grove tree, just as it always had. She tightened the strap on her pack and followed the reading, one foot in front of the other, stepping around gnarled roots and mossy stone.

She tried to push a curtain of dead vines out of the way and found resistance. Substance. She looked up and widened her eyes as the pale, withered vines expanded and regained their color in seconds, wriggling and snapping back and forth as they retook their former shape. Asami stumbled backward and frantically checked her counter.

The compass was spinning in circles and the counter needle was so far into the red that it cracked off, splintering the glass. The clicking and beeping became louder and louder as the ground rumbled beneath her. She clipped it back on to her belt and took off in a sprint toward the Banyan Grove tree. Maybe she wasn't too late. Maybe she could still stop it from happening all over again.

Asami had prepared for nearly this exact eventuality. Of course, she hadn't guessed the regrowth period would be almost instantaneous, if the blooming flowers and rapidly ripening vines that followed her as she ran were any indication. The forest grew thicker and closed in on her, in perfect time with her panicked heart.

At the last moment, she dove through a small gap in the treeline, the hole sealing itself over with roots and vines behind her the second she rolled to her feet. She could still hear the forest rebirthing itself for miles in every direction. But she was safe. The clearing she'd found was relatively silent. Calming.

Asami looked up at the base of the Banyan Grove Tree in silent awe. It was utterly beautiful; she couldn't deny that. A massive tree that intertwined with life itself in all ways known to humanity and many that were not. The eternal, infinite connection among everything. Unique in the material world, and just barely so for the spirits.

Half the foundation of reality itself, and unironically half of the same illusion as well.

"No visions this time?" Asami asked the tree, tracing her boot across a raised patch of earth. She crouched down and dug out the dirt with her gloves, revealing a small, but still very much alive, spirit vine. Asami unzipped her bag and set it down beside her. She pulled out a ruler and marker, and quickly sectioned off six inches of the vine with thick black lines. "That only worries me." She carefully drew the utility knife from the small of her back and eyed herself in the polished steel. "If you've given up on me, then…" She caught sight of another pair of eyes in the blade's reflection and spun around.

But there was no one there. No extra set of green eyes, identical to her own, were staring back at her. No illusion. She must have been seeing double. Stress could do that. Probably. Anxiety, too.

Asami rubbed her eyes and focused her attention back on the vine. It was necessary. It had been necessary for months. She'd convinced herself. She'd convinced Korra, albeit grudgingly. Everyone who mattered. The risk was worth the reward, and then they could all finally, mercifully, sleep soundly at night.

And Asami was so very tired.

Asami made two quick cuts on the vine, separating the marked section from the network. Nothing attacked her. She gingerly picked it out of the dirt and rested it behind her. Still, nothing. She pulled a small electrical generator out of her pack and connected the wiring to the isolated vine, ensuring the connecting pins were as deep as they could go. Once again, nothing.

Asami placed her hand on the dial and slowly turned it, sending a stream of electricity into the vine. If it glowed, they were still conduits If they didn't, it would finally be over. Little by little, she increased the voltage. Then, on the tenth tick, the vine began to hum. And then sparked into a faint purple glow.

Her posture collapsed as she watched the vine become brighter; spirit energy flowing from across the barrier to mock her in person. Nothing had changed. After all of those nightmares, both real and self fabricated, not a damn thing had changed.

Asami gnashed her teeth and tore the generator out of the vine, smashing it with her boot. The vine withered and faded to a pale green, just as the others had been. It was only temporary. A solution that needed to be repeated at such a high frequency that it may as well have been meaningless.

Asami picked up her hand radio and gripped it tightly. She couldn't see her knuckles, but she knew they were white. She turned it on and closed her eyes. "Korra," she said, consciously leveling out her voice. As much as she wanted to just walk in silence back to her landing site, she needed to get the bad news out of the way first.

There was no response, and Asami wondered why she even bothered. Korra would know. She was a living spiritual energy detector. What was the point of telling her that they'd simply bought time, and then effectively squandered it? If word got out, paranoia would be the norm. For...she didn't want to think about how long. And then a thought occurred to her. A very simple one.

What if word  _didn't_ get out? At least, not yet.  Not until they were ready.

"Korra," she said once more, swallowing her despair and anger. "Come on, Korra, I'm in the middle of the swamp. The least you could do is wait by the radio."

" _Asami! Hey, sorry, I had to run outside for a minute. So…"_ She heard shuffling through the receiver. " _What's the verdict?"_

Asami licked her lips and stared hard at the Banyan Grove Tree. She traced the tiny etchings in the roots up as far as she could follow them, and finally exhaled. "It's over," she lied. But, of course, Korra would know that. She'd immediately know that she was trying to cover it up. And Asami had to bank everything on that one simple fact.

That she would know. That she would know how to react.

The radio was silent for a few moments, but then the static cleared. " _Then come home and give everyone else the good news,"_ she said flatly.

Asami turned back to the treeline as she heard branches stretch and rustle. The forest was parting itself; clearing a path for her in the most blatant way possible. Validation that strengthened what little resolve she had for what they were going to do. What they  _had_ to do. She couldn't lose everything. She  _wouldn't._ Not again.

And in the center of the path, she spotted something sticking out of the mud. Something she thought she'd lost in the battle against Artana.

Her fan-blade, with its scabbard discarded beside it.

Asami grasped the hilt and slid it out of the earth, the wound in the ground healing itself as soon as the sword was free. She expanded and refolded the fan-blade, clearing off most of the dirt and stared into the metal. A pair of amber eyes glared right back at her. Mocking her, even in death. But Asami had proven her wrong.

Hadn't she?

" _Asami?_ "

"I'm here." Asami sheathed the blade. "I'll see you in the morning."

" _Love you."_

"Love you, too."

 

* * *

 

_Three Years after the Spirit Breach_

_Mid Autumn, 179 A.G._

 

Asami wiped the smudges off of her glasses with a fine cloth and put them back on, blinking as she noted the improved clarity in which she could see Korra.  “I don’t know how I keep failing to notice when these get so dirty,” she said, smoothing her dark vest over her pink blouse.

Korra shrugged and straightened Asami’s tie, smiling.  “You probably just forget they’re there.”

“That must be it,” she said with a chuckle. “All right, so we get in at around five, which should give us enough time to wander around the lower ring before dinner.  Oh, and our reservation at the Jasmine Dragon is---”

“At seven, I know, Asami.” Korra rubbed her arm.  “You’ve gone over this at least a dozen times by now. We’re gonna get there in one piece.  Everything will turn out great.”

“Okay, okay.  I’m just a little nervous.”

Korra tossed her the car keys and walked out of their penthouse, and into the elevator, holding the doors open with her foot.  “There’s nothing to be nervous about.  There aren’t any more tests to run, you said it yourself.”

Asami nodded and joined her in the lift, pressing the button for ‘lobby’.  “Yes, but not with _this_ many people. Well, that’s not entirely true, since we had all those volunteers. But, still, something could go wrong.”

The elevator descended and Korra tilted her head.  “Or, everything could go right.  Do you have your speech?”

Asami checked her pockets.  “I have the speech.”

“And you’ve memorized it.”

“Yes, I’ve memorized it.”

“And it’s a good speech?”

“It’s a good speech, yes.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

Asami chuckled and shrugged with a smile.  “I...don’t even know anymore.”

“Exactly,” Korra kissed her on the cheek as the doors slid open.   

 

* * *

 

Asami stood before a huge crowd, composed of both humans and spirits, in front of the once-again overhauled Central City Station, covered in a large tarp displaying the logos of both Future Industries and Varrick Industries International.  The tail end of the building’s smaller spirit portal (it looked more like a well-made, stable tear, but portal sounded safer) peaked out from behind it, and the vines were just as thick as they always had been, creeping into the buildings around the square.  Flash bulbs went off in rapid succession as she ascended the podium, Raiko handing it off to her as he went back to his seat.  

“Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Mister President,” she said, adding a mental note to look into enforcing term limits for elected officials.  “As I’m sure all of you remember, three years ago our world was blindsided by a disaster unlike anything seen before.  But, as a result, the wall between planes was weakened, and we, humanity as a whole, became closer to the spirits in every way possible.  We’re not quite the mysteries we once were to one another anymore.  We’re all individuals, with our own thoughts and aspirations.  And day by day, we all learn a little more about each other, and move towards what I’m confident can only be a brighter future,” she said, smiling.  

“Now, it’s not just Republic City where spirits and humans are able to live together peacefully, but almost every other major city in the world. As great as that accomplishment is, I believe we can always strive to do better. To _be_ better.  And so, with that ideal in mind…” She gestured to the world leaders seated off to the side of the stage.  “...thanks to the continued efforts of Fire Lord Izumi, our own President Raiko, Chief Eska and Desna of the Northern Water Tribe, Chief Tonraq of the Southern Water Tribe, the diplomatic representative of the…” She spotted Opal in the crowd, another baby on the way, who hadn’t been told of the official naming yet, “...Earth Federation---”

Opal whooped far too loudly before Mako and Bolin pulled her back into her seat.

“---Wu of the Hou-Ting Dynasty, and of course, Avatar Korra Sato, we, all of us, are finally prepared to take the next step forward in peaceful cohabitation. The loosening of borders, and barriers, between us.”  She turned halfway back to the tarp and raised her arm.  “Future Industries, in partnership with Varrick Industries International, is proud to finally present the next generation of commercial transportation…”

The tarp fell to the ground, revealing a completely remodeled and ornate train station, a perfect blend of steel, wood and built around the vines, allowing them room to grow.  Most had seen it before, since it was in smack dab in the center of downtown, but presentation always counted for something.  

Asami raised her voice.  “...the first in our soon to be long line of Inter-Plane railways: The _Hiroshi!_ Non-stop service from Republic City to Ba Sing Se in three hours!”

The crowd cheered and the applause washed over her.  They’d known about it already, so really the whole thing was just ceremony.  But it was still nice, validating, especially considering how hard she’d had to fight for that name.  

“Thank you, and enjoy the commute!”  Asami stepped away from the podium and the crowd began to disperse into the station, many of them already having bought tickets in advance, or just wanting to see the inaugural voyage first-hand.  

“Come on, let’s go!” Korra grabbed her hand and ran into the station, pulling them both ahead of the crowd and toward the majestically designed train.

“Korra! What---” Asami laughed as she followed along.  “We’re not going to miss it! And what’s the rush, we’ve done this before, remember?”

“Yeah, but not, y’know, _officially._ ”

They ran down the stairs and Asami looked at the locomotive. Mag-lev, thanks to Varrick, and all-but-non-existent spirit world disturbance sans the tracks themselves.  Exhaust designed only to vent in the material world, and filled to the brim with creature comforts.  After all, it _was_ a Future Industries product.  

“You just don’t want to get stuck in line, do you?” asked Asami.

“Okay, maybe that’s _part_ of it.” Korra didn’t wait for the conductor to take their tickets, not they needed to, and dragged them onboard, her boots sliding across the fine red carpet.  She pushed Asami towards where she _knew_ their reserved car was, incredibly giddy. “But that doesn’t make this any less important!”

“Oh, of course not,” snickered Asami, running through the lush dining car and narrowly avoiding one of the attendants carrying a large dolley of luggage aboard. She passed through the gourmet kitchen, the mini-mover car (Varrick’s idea, and it tested well), the bar, the regular cars, the sleeping cars, the quiet cars and, finally, made it to the caboose.

The Sato Suite.  And friends, (and associates, if Kuvira was present) if she were being honest, but that wouldn’t look very good on the hand crafted placard.

Asami slowed down as she entered and laughed, catching her breath.  The room was regal, yet functional, which should serve as no surprise. Though, unfortunately, there simply wasn’t room for Naga.  And Asami had tried some... _very_ unconventional designs to make that happen.  It didn’t work in the penthouse, and it didn’t work on the train either.  Still, something to work towards.

“Where’d all that energy come from?” said Asami.

“What can I say?” Korra plopped down on the couch and shrugged.  “I’m excited to see how the general public reacts.”

Asami raised a brow, smirking. “And so you want to be the first on the train, so you don’t miss a thing?  Even though you can’t really see anyone from the caboose.”

“Never said it was a perfect plan.”

Mako, Harumi, Bolin, with Pabu perched on his shoulder, and Opal made their way into the caboose, with Opal cackling up a storm.

“Pay up!” she said, grinning from ear to ear.  “How long have you guys known?”

“I just found out _today,_ because apparently, I can’t keep a secret,” said Bolin.

Pabu chittered and ran down his leg, up Asami’s, circled her neck, and hopped onto Korra’s head.  She snickered as Opal clicked her tongue and he scampered up to her shoulder.

“Bo.  You can’t,” said Mako. “You told us not to tell you in advance for that exact reason, remember?”

Bolin rubbed his chin.  “Ohhhhhhh, yup, yeah, I do remember that now.  Well, on the plus side, I didn’t actually lose any money, so…” He smiled.

Mako huffed.  “Yeah, yeah.  Anyway, I’ve known for about a month.”

“Two months, I think?” said Harumi.  Mako gave her a confused look.  “What? I didn’t know about the betting pool!” she defended.

“About a year for me,” said Korra.  “Same as Asami.”

Asami took her wallet out of her bag, which had already been loaded beforehand, and gave Korra a teasing sidelong glance.  “Let’s see, I think we ended up with, together, around four thousand?”

“You knew I was competitive when you married me.  You keep raising the stakes and I’ll keep meeting them.”

Asami chuckled and gave Opal her winnings.  “There you go, Mrs. Beifong.”

Opal huffed and stuffed the wad of cash into her bag.  “Ugh, that makes me sound so _old._  No one even calls my mom ‘Mrs. Beifong’.”

“You know…” said Korra.  “I’ve never noticed that.”

Bolin and Opal settled on the couch and Korra scooched over to give the pregnant woman more room, which she noticed and smacked her on the arm for.  Korra just laughed. Mako and Harumi chose to stand and investigate the amenities of the caboose.

“Baatar and Kuvira couldn’t make it?” asked Asami, looking back through the door and catching an eyeful of Varrick flailing with a dozen suitcases into his state room.  Zhu Li followed soon after, with even _more_ suitcases.  Were they _moving_ to Ba Sing Se? “Or…”

Opal shook her head.  “Kuvira couldn’t.  She’s... _working._ Stopping bad guys before they become bad guys.  Vine stuff.”

Asami settled down next to Korra. “Still? I’d have thought they’d be done with...well, that _particular_ trip by now.”

“I guess it got more complicated,” said Korra.

Opal nodded.  “It must be that.  Anyway, you know my brother.  He’d rather wait so they can both experience it for the first time together.”

“It never stops surprising me that he’s a bit of a romantic,” said Mako.

“Yeah, I don’t know _what_ he is sometimes.”

The train whistle sounded for the last time and Asami smiled as it began to move forward.  She snuggled in closer to Korra and rested her head on her shoulder, watching the sky move faster and faster through the glass roof of the car.  Korra gave her a look and pulled the both of them up to standing, guiding them over to the back of the suite, straight to the back door.  She unlocked it, and quickly slipped the both of them out before closing it behind her.

Asami smiled and rested her hands on the railing wind whipped through her hair and clothes, the station moving further and further away from them as the train circled the portal.  “Quite the view you’ve picked out.”

“Well, we’re watching the world being changed, so I thought we’d need a good one,” said Korra, leaning over beside her.  “Once we’re on the other side…” she shrugged.

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess you’re right.  I never thought you could pin down one single moment like that, but, I suppose you can,” said Asami.  She smiled wider.

The train picked up speed and Korra pulled her into her chest, pulling her in for a deep, passionate kiss just as they passed through the light.  Asami pulled back, her cheeks starting to hurt from the smiling, and noticed something different about the tracks.

There were flowers _everywhere._  

Asami snickered into a loud laugh and kissed Korra again.  And again, and again and again, unable to contain her laughter and adoration.  Her devotion, and her impossible curiosity to see just _how many_ flowers they could make.

She pulled back and bit her lip, snickering again.  “I forgot about that.”

“I didn’t.” Korra smiled and some of Asami’s hair behind her ear.  “You want to go back inside?”

“No, not yet,” said Asami slipping her fingers between Korra’s, looking out over the edge of the train as the endless, stunning landscape stretched out before them. The spirit world had always been more beautiful than Asami could have ever imagined. Impossible flowers, valleys bending and folding into one another, mountains stretching on for eons, and thousands upon thousands of spirits. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”

“And more, right?”

“Yeah.” She sighed, content, and a few tears fell down her cheeks. “And more.”

 

**劇終**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helluva ride, huh? Never thought I'd finish it, honestly. But I did. Just under 1.5 years of work, through lots of LIFE THINGS and all that other great stuff, I did it. And it's an odd feeling, not having this story swirling in my head anymore. A good one, but odd all the same. Not like something's missing, but...more like contentment, but not quite that either. But it's something. 
> 
> Something good. :)
> 
> I'm really gonna miss writing Artana. I'm still floored by how well people responded to her, considering she's an OC, but it's more that she really just grew on me. Wanted to make a villain that fit into TLOK's pattern (ideology taken too far, plan's failure leading to unexpected positive change) and didn't rehash any bending subsets for her abilities. With ATLA and TLOK combined we had Earth, Metal, Lava, Fire, Lightning, Combustion, Air, Water, Blood, and Spirit-based villains. Thus, Sand/Glass.
> 
> Oh, and, one more thing before we get into “final thoughts” territory: Read it again. If you have the time/motivation/whatever, read it again. I can all but guarantee it'll be a much more interesting story now that you can pick up on all the details along the way. But that's enough of that, I think.
> 
> I want to personally thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for reading this. Some from the beginning, some joined in later, others waited until it was finished to indulge, but all of you still stuck through it, enduring all the highs and lows and the stupid mistakes I made along the way. Wrote this for me, because I did not believe for a second that Asami actually forgave her father in the series finale, let alone let him go (or in this case, accept his death), among many other reasons, but it puts a stupid grin on my face that you folks enjoyed it too. More than a little rough around the edges, but I think it all works, on the whole. 
> 
> For the most part. 
> 
> But, it'd be pure crap if not for those who helped me along the way. So thank you thejmpr, for punching the stupid out of everything I sent you and discussing almost everything about this story ad nauseam often a moment's notice. Thank you to iviscrit, for going above and beyond with helping me with the Beifong/Kuvira content, among other things like letting me borrow Keisai. Thank you to beech27, for doing technical editing and...other stuff? Probably? Few RCB references in there. Not sure why either of you went along with my varying levels of nonsense for so long, but you did, so again, thank you.
> 
> Even so, with all of them, that's not the entire puzzle. Or pie. Whichever. 
> 
> Thank you to 425599167 for building and maintaining the absurdly comprehensive TVTropes page. Vannymore and sherbies, for being probably the most entertainingly enthusiastic readers (excluding itsrevydutch, obvs) one could ever get, and a major source of motivation. I'm not sorry for all the heart attacks I've struck vannymore with. Eegahisms, for making that comic based on Ch9, and how meticulous they were with all the tiny details. Art-heap, for the fanart and possessing both prophetic abilities (multiple times!) and an artstyle that is weirdly effective at keeping me on task. Willoghby, for perfectly capturing the 'water skin' moment, as well as Artana, and for debating vannymore regarding moments in this story which is something I'll never not find hilarious. 2dshepard, for being one of the few people who I think honestly adores the whole “noodles” thing. Lokgifsandmusings, for letting me borrow Ginni and...I dunno lore conversations??? We've had so many I forget what we talked about aside from Asami living in the Spirit Wilds. Traeger, for letting me test out the chakra/red thing on you before anyone else (BECAUSE LITERALLY NOBODY WANTED TO GET SPOILED AND I HAD NO IDEA IF IT WORKED OR NOT) and for writing a fanfic of my fanfic where there's a mover version of “Republic City Blues” and it's filmed entirely in RED. 
> 
> To everyone who kudos'd, commented, bookmarked, rec'd, subscribed, etc: Double Thank You. To everyone who actually reads all of these often long-winded author's notes, Triple Thank You. And to everyone who actually read the [giant post about Spirit Vines (and maybe even reblogged it!)](http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/114642565116/spirit-vine-meta-physics-or-how-mako-nearly), Quadruple Thank You. And yes, these do stack.
> 
> Now, I could ramble on about stuff that I cut (IT WAS A LOT OH MY GOD) or variations on important beats (SO MANY HOLY JEEZ), or over-explaining things that I can just answer in comments (the proposal, Zaheer, how Artana actually won, or justifying things which (Asami and the chakras has a 50/50 shot of blowing up in my face), again, could be addressed in comments, but, just this once... 
> 
> I'm gonna let the story speak for itself. :)

**Author's Note:**

> For other words, ramblings, extra stuff, Asami Sato and/or Kate Kane fangirling and other assorted fun things you can follow me on tumblr at [progmanx.tumblr.com!](progmanx.tumblr.com)


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